Take This Job and Love It - Part A

However, did a study that when people get hired you know what 85% of the time to get hired for their attitude not there smart only 15% of the time people get hired because a really smart and they know facts and figures, 85% of the time is added to believers get out of the attitude of gratitude. Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living. Jesus spent time working as a carpenter and many of his parables had to do with work and wages.

So what does that mean for you today today on connect with Skip Skip shares how you can experience more joy and satisfaction a good job not your faith in the workplace would first want to share about what you can hear even more biblically solid teachings from Skip by TB program connect with skip. Isaac is now erring on the health on channel on Saturdays at 4:30 PM Mountain time watch their fortune in on TBN on Sundays at 5:30 AM Eastern.

Check your local listings that you skip. Now we are in first Peter chapter 2 as we dive into the teaching with Skip Heitzig so he says submit the very practical command servants, submit your master is what you need to know what the New Testament did is teach enough principles that eventually slavery would become undermined in the Roman Empire started in the second century A.D. by about the fourth century there was no slavery in virtually every resource I looked up to discover why including Encyclopaedia Britannica, was that enough people in the Roman Empire had now become Christians that they started looking at people differently so it served to eradicate slavery is looking at people with compassion in the image of God not a piece of property, but a human being like they were so slavery was abolished.

As time went on slavery persisted, but there were antislavery movements usually led by Christians in England. William Wilberforce is a notable example along with his friend John Newton who wrote the song amazing Grace in America, there were the abolitionists mostly led by Christian believers. So New Testament principles that would say submit to your harsh employer your master also gave enough information and inspiration that when a person adopted the Christian message. Eventually it permeated his culture.

So that's a practical command and I want to give you the principle to write down this principle number one work hard and work well be a hard worker be the kind of worker that any employer would want to hire. How's that for being a Christian does work hard and work well. Many years ago when I was jobless. I had been trained in the medical profession. My field was radiology and I needed a job and so I went to a local hospital to a department I put in my resume, and I had an interview and they asked me questions and at the end of the interview.

They said this so it's the word everyone hates to hear. Thank you. Will call you don't call us will call you which usually means bye-bye you don't get the job and I knew that I was turning around to leave and I pause I remembered this this idea this text. I turned and I said hey listen I know you can interview a lot of people but I just want you to know some if you want to hire me I will be the best worker you have in your department. He set up in his shirt. He said you got the job and I love going. Oh dear.

Now I gotta make good on that promise, right now it's all about the sanity in the workplace. This is the stage by which to prove that that is true you want to be the kind of worker to an employer that they would want to hire.

Want to keep work hard, work well.

Notice he says something in verse 18, the you are to be submissive to your masters with all what fear means respect, be respectful, don't be a better employee will be the kind of person who always has a negative disposition work hard, work well, that's it. That's a practical command.

The second is a potential complication for you'll notice as we go to verse 18, down enough in the words that follow that not every boss is good.

Not every boss is gentle. He says be submissive your masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh harsh is the word slowly severed of scoliosis twisted spine. It means a twisted person. Harsh twisted crooked because of that.

Now if a person is. That way the employee is going to suffer and you'll notice the wording in verse 19 you endure grief. He says you are suffering wrongfully. He says, verse 20. If you do good, and yet you suffer. Why would they suffer because their boss. There master is harsh ever had a boss like that harsh boss and using great.

I thought this was so cool and that's my boss and it gets worse. You might be having that boss right now. I might be just you might be that box one job that I had. There was this supervisor that I had. She didn't like me. One of the reason she did like me is because I was a believer in Jesus… Stuff is hokey pokey hocus-pocus, weird stuff, but one of the reasons is that Monday mornings I would come in happy and she just thought that is not possible. I came in. I commented to him was Sing Sing and she she finally turn them into ghost which use that I go up. Stop singing it's Monday, she does. He resented any happiness on Monday morning so very hard for me to do that but I do remember that she would give me lots more work in the kind of jobs. Nobody else in the department really wanted in life wasn't easy because of that is the second principle I want to give you and I want you to write this one down.

Life is a mix of good and bad. Use both to advertise. Life is a mix of good and bad.

Use both good and bad to advertise. You can have good bosses you can have bad boxes you can have great jobs that they ask you to do you have jobs that are distasteful and that you hate the can ideas bold is to simply say, at least you have a job I make can we as believers just start right there and say okay you know I really don't like what I'm doing here. I don't like this job. I don't like the situation this work condition.

I don't like but you know what you know what I have a job I get a paycheck. I have employment and then the same way on that. I believe the Lord put me here. It elevates your position and it changes your attitude you know Harper did a study I was reading this week harbored to the study that when people get hired you know what 85% of the time to get hired for their attitude not there smart only 15% of the time people get hired because a really smart and they know facts and figures, 85% of the time it's added to and for believers it out to be the attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living and for working especially for work. So life is a mix of good and bad. Use both to advertise the third swash of this is a powerful consideration. He continues in verse 19. Please notice and he says this is commendable. This is good. You have good bosses and bad boss and we have a really bad boss. He says this is commendable if because of conscience toward God.

One endures grief, suffering wrongfully for what credit is it if when you are beaten for your fault. You take it patiently or bad worker you mouth off you slack off, and you get punished works a lot.

You deserved it. But when you do good and suffer if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. In the words God is really pleased with that. Now this gets to the very motive for which we were quite you work. Is it just to get a paycheck and all that's important is it just to make a living that is important is it just to provide for your family. All of that is very very noble and very important, but could there be yet another level of motivation that is better than all those you just read it.

God is please. This is commendable before God. No doubt, you gotta think back, no doubt many people 2000 years ago when they read this letter were servants who had been beaten by their masters who were given unreasonable task and work unreasonable amount of hours, far more than our labor board today would ever allow back then. 2000 years ago they did not have what we have today. They did not have union representatives they did not have human resource departments do not have government agencies to appeal their case. They could not bring a civil lawsuit against an employer.

They were slaves to master and life was harsh and Peter knew that when he wrote, and so he said sometimes you suffer because you deserve it.

You cut corners.

You don't finish the job you get in trouble you quit early. There's a sign in a business in the in the San Francisco that says if you don't believe in the resurrection of the dead you are to be her five minutes before closing time. Sad.

If any of those were believers.

I read an interesting survey. They did a lot of digging for this one, and they discovered that American workers admitted to goofing off 20% of the time. That's one whole day per week essentially talk about extra things they do for themselves.

Extra phone calls they make extra time spent at lunch break or whatever their own little deal 20% of the time goofing off. Sometimes Peter says suffering you have is undeserved suffering.

Peter says in that case the patient endure you been accused falsely. This is commendable with God.

If if you take it patiently for the conscience sake before the Lord God loves that you think of a few other scuffs all over the Bible, are they not of people who at their work were shamefully treated. Daniel was he was accused by his peers of wrongdoing even though he did nothing wrong Joseph was.

He was accused of doing things wrong. He was put in prison a couple of different occasions by the lives of other people. He did nothing wrong.

Back to the end of all that he said you meant it for evil God meant it for good. I have a question. How on earth can a person live like that live victoriously when treated like that.

How could they do that how can you do it at work.

Here's the answer to God to work with you. That's principle number three I want you to jot this down take God to work with you if you want to transform any job into a real joy to God to work with Ephesians chapter 6 work with enthusiasm. Paul writes, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. He goes on to say, not as men pleasers the pleasing God.

Now with your eye on the clock now with Orion the boss class is coming busy. Be the kind of worker whose eye is on the Lord and not on the clock. Take God to work with you.

How about if you look at that lousy job and said, Lord, I'm doing this, as unto you because I want you to be pleased with my I want to leave at the end of the day saying I work for God today.

Stradivarius violins are known for not being cheap instruments. My right is that an understatement.

I was talking to a music store owner in this town who has one of the finest instrumentation to find musical instrument places in the country in the world's known for and he said I've had three or four different Stradivarius violins here that I've sold is that how much they sell for like 20 bucks. He said each instrument sells for several million dollars apiece.

Why why is that some fancy Italian dudes name on it. You don't want to know why. Why was secret Antonia Stradivarius, the owner of that shop believed that no instrument should leave his shop unless it was near perfect as humanly possible.

And here's why.

Quote he said God needs violins to send his music into the world and if any violins are defective, then God's music will be spoiled." You are that you know what Antonia Stradivarius did to every worker in his factory that felt they had a mundane job of cutting and gluing together. He does elevated their task saying you're doing this for God. This is God's music. I want these to be God's instruments doing as unto the Lord told you before about those three workers. Each one was doing exactly the same thing. One person went up to the first worker. So what are you doing, he said, I'm breaking rocks scowling out of the cycling of what you doing those I'm earning a living as 1/3 guy what you doing. He said I'm building a cathedral.

Three different attitudes exactly the same job. I'm just making it through our I'm doing something for God. That's the powerful consideration bring God work with four will close on this personal calling a personal calling want to delete something that I hope will floor you like it did me.

When I read it again. Verse 21 for to this you were called stop to what are they called while he just said you can have jobs where your employer is really good and you can have jobs with employers really harsh and to be treated wrongfully in a suffer for okay what's the good news.

The good news is you were called to that to this you were called to suffer what he says and the rest of the verse because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps.

I can only imagine what this sound alike as they read this verse I'm called to this and here's why you follow what's his name Jesus Christ you follow him what happened to him. He got he got crucified he suffered. You are following us suffering Savior. Which means, by necessity, from time to time to call to suffer. Paul wrote about the fellowship of his sufferings to this you were called to this you were called. That's real submission to Le Grand. I hate this job. This job hurts and maybe, just maybe, God has called me to this brings you to principle number four principle number four life transforming principle God's plan is it that you just show up, but that you grow up God's will. His plan is that you just show up to work but that you grow up this job isn't just to satisfy you or supplement you to shape you to shape you. How many of you would agree that suffering can be beneficial and anybody meet. That's all you believe that suffering can be beneficial absolutely. If you're a Christian, you must admit suffering can be beneficial. I can think of a few things you can do number want to keep this pure, nothing will purify you like suffer Goldsmith who heats up the gold and pours the hot golden metal from vessel to vessel enough impurities rise to the top suffering will keep you pure number two. Suffering will keep you humble. Paul the apostle was lifted up, and prone to pride because he saw the revelations of God. Nobody else on. He said to counteract that God gave me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. I hated it. I asked God to take it away goes I'm paraphrasing my grace is all you need. Paul, my grace is all you need so you know he said that I'm the right choice in my suffering is it keeps me humble keeps you pure. It keeps you humble. Three. Keeps you depend when you brought low through suffering you depend on God. Your prayer life is never better than when life hurts the right, so is it any wonder that God allows or even prescribes periods of suffering. So God's plan is that you just show up is that you grow up to this you were called, but I want to say this because I remember the bad job I never had job situations couple of life is been pretty good, but there's couple about what I member as a believer going.

Could this be God's will, and it wasn't his will permanently or eventually. But it was his will temporarily because I needed to be shaped and be whipped into shape. Some of those harsh bosses were God's tool. I closer the story said was an ugly caterpillar with orange eyes. He spent his whole life groveling and squirming in the dirt on God's earth one day, said got a terrific idea. He crawled up the stem of the Bush made his way to a branch and secreted a translucent fluid onto that branch. He made a kind of gotten out of the fluid turned himself around and attached is posterior anatomy to that button. Then he shaped himself into a J curled up and proceeded to build a house around himself. There's a lot of activity for a while but before long said was entirely covered up and you couldn't see them anymore. One day an eruption took place.

Since house shook violently that little cocoon jerked and shook tell a large beautiful wing protruded send stretched it out, and all of its glory. He continued his work until another gorgeous wing emerged at this stage of said life. You might've wanted to help him but you didn't because if you tried to pull the rest of Sue's house off you would maim him for the rest of his life. So you let said convulse and wriggle his way to freedom without any outside intervention eventually said got his house off his back ventured out onto a branch scratch spread his wings. He was nothing like the old worm he used to be.

And you know what said didn't call back down the branch and start groveling and squirming in the dirt again. Instead, he took off with a new kind of power, flight power now, instead of swallowing dust said flies from flower to flower, enjoying the sweet nectar in God's wonderful creation that process hurt his life get shaken because of it year, but the submission got a great sense of freedom that Skip Heitzig with a message from the series rocks.

Now we want to share about a resource that helps you look confidently in the peace of Jesus and licensor. So how is your stress level on a scale of 1 to 10.

Stress is robber of peace and joy Skip Heitzig sink with the planet observation.

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Tune in tomorrow Skip Heitzig secures vital truths to encourage. As you pursue God's purpose for your life.

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The reason why we put up endure harsh circumstances and hard people is because Skip presentation of connection communication through ever-changing time