1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,640 We are going to move quickly through the book of James. 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,440 We're going to do 3 verses. Keep thinking I'm going to going 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,800 to bounce through it. And I keep running into my 4 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,360 difference between being the head pastor and the visiting 5 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,880 pastor is the head pastor. The visiting pastor can skip 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,680 over things because the head pastor can teach it later. 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,440 The the head pastor does it has to go, oh, I should probably 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,320 talk about that and I should probably talk about that. 9 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:35,840 So it's so we're going to be in James verses 9 through 11 and 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:42,040 we're but if you want us, if you want to turn to Matthew chapter 11 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:49,440 6 verses 25 through 30 and I'm actually reading it in the new 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,400 King James. Therefore I say to you, do not 13 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,560 worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, 14 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:58,920 nor about your body what you will put on. 15 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,560 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 16 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,360 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,560 nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 18 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,160 Are you not more value than they? 19 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,960 Which of you by worrying, can add 1 cubit to his stature? 20 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,040 So why do you worry about clothing? 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,680 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,480 They neither toil nor spin. And yet I say to you that even 23 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,360 Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,800 Now if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, 25 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,960 and tomorrow was thrown into the oven, will he not much more 26 00:01:37,960 --> 00:01:40,840 clothe you? Oh, you of little faith. 27 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,600 So Lord, I just lift up everybody here, Lord and I just 28 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,440 that you'd be here with us, Lord that you'd be speaking to us 29 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,320 Lord, that you'd be showing us Your fullness and your your 30 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,560 desire to care for your children. 31 00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:00,880 And Lord, the the desire you have for us to just be content 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,920 in you because Lord, you have all of our needs met. 33 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,360 And Lord that you'd be with us here today. 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,360 You speak to me or that you speak to me and I pray all this 35 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:18,040 in Jesus name, Amen. So verse 9 in James says, Let 36 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:21,240 the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his 37 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,880 humiliation, because like a flower of the grass, he will 38 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,960 pass away. For the sun rises, and with it 39 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,120 scorching heat, and Withers the grass. 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:37,080 It flowers, its flowers falls, and its beauty perishes. 41 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:41,760 So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his 42 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,800 pursuit. So it starts off with Let the 43 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:53,360 lowly be lifted up, exalted, and and that exaltation is to be 44 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,120 lifted up in power, in the rank, in the office, into dignity or 45 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,400 excellent excellence. And that's, you know, glory and 46 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:04,440 loneliness, which is to boast or show off or talk big about my 47 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,840 poorness or about my lack of power. 48 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,640 What did what? And it's what does that look 49 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:13,640 like? That obviously something we 50 00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:18,560 don't, especially as a culture, even even think is a is 51 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,000 something is to glory in my in my in my lack in my in my 52 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,520 poorness, in my in my lack of power. 53 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:32,080 But if you look at Acts 540 and 41, this is Peter and John and 54 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,000 and it's a really good just them modeling what that looks like 55 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:42,080 and why we are to be that way. Verse 40 it says And when they 56 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,840 called, called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them 57 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,440 not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. 58 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:55,240 And then they left the apostles the presence of the council, 59 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,640 rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for 60 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,000 the name of Jesus. Now it says just for the name, 61 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,480 but it's for the name of Jesus. Peter and John praised and 62 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:11,160 boasted that they were they were able to suffer in Christ's name. 63 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:14,560 They they boasted in their weakness, they didn't have the 64 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:20,360 power to withstand the council. And this is not not unlike what 65 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:22,760 James has already stated about count it all joy. 66 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,320 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various 67 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,040 trials because it gives you the opportunity to lean on Jesus. 68 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,640 And James continues in his method of just saying stuff. 69 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,080 And you just make statements, do this, do that. 70 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,440 And this is one of those, right? If you don't have money, if 71 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,760 you're broke and poor having nothing, you have everything you 72 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:55,440 need in Christ. Do we believe that Jesus said it 73 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,200 like this in Matthew 5? Blessed are the poor in spirit, 74 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:00,480 for there's the Kingdom of heaven. 75 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:04,440 And we've talked about that. When we recognize our position 76 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,560 in Christ, we can glory in our weakness. 77 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,800 My weakness magnifies his strength. 78 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,920 The old, the old dead guys always talk about, talked about 79 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:22,000 it like an exchanged life, which is when you really read the 80 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:28,600 Bible and study what Jesus said. He knew what he was talking 81 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,480 about. And when you trust him, suddenly 82 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,720 the world has nothing. They have no, they have no hold 83 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,800 over you. It is. 84 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:41,200 Paul explains it in Corinthians to the Corinthians, like this in 85 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,000 2nd Corinthians 12 verses 9 and 10. 86 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:50,640 But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power 87 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:56,560 is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the 88 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,160 more gladly of my weakness so that the power of Christ may 89 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:05,240 rest upon me for the sake of Christ, for for the sake of 90 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,080 Christ. Then I may I am content with 91 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,960 weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. 92 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,960 For when I am weak, then I am strong. 93 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,080 And, and I will tell you as as Americans and I pick on 94 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,160 Americans, but I, but it's the western world in general. 95 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:28,560 I live in America, so I get a pick on Americans. 96 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:35,280 We get our minds wrapped around the idea that stuff can bring us 97 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:41,840 happiness and the getting our mind, getting our minds wrapped 98 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:46,840 around the truth of scripture, which is weakness is strength 99 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:51,440 because we let him do the work at that point when I don't have 100 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:57,480 when I don't have whether that's I don't have the I can't just 101 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:04,400 write a check this probably 10 years ago, there was a 102 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:09,040 missionary from Bangladesh came to Calvary Chapel on a Wednesday 103 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:14,280 night and he was he was telling us stories about guys that were 104 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:18,080 radically there was radical miracles going on, people's 105 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:20,520 lives being saved. There was just this revival 106 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:25,200 going on and he's telling the stories and somebody in the back 107 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,160 there was a question and answer and somebody in the back asked 108 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:31,640 the question, why? Why do we not hear about this 109 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,800 this kind of revival in America? Why do we not hear about these 110 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:40,440 miracles in America and that's a hard question for a traveling 111 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:45,040 evangelist to tell you from from Bangladesh looking at America 112 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:51,840 and he's he just very nicely and without judgment. 113 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,960 It's reliance on God when a, when somebody gives their life 114 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:01,840 to the Lord in Bangladesh and when they get, when they, when 115 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,400 they say the prayer, they're, they're fine when they go and 116 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,840 get baptized, when they, when they go and get baptized, it's, 117 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,280 it's official. And they lose, they lose their 118 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:16,040 house, their business, they, their, their community. 119 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,160 If their wife and kids are not believers, they lose their wife 120 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,640 and kids. So when they get saved, they 121 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:27,040 lose everything for Christ, right? 122 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:31,720 And they are relying on Jesus at that point. 123 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,720 And that isn't that is not the picture of how an American gets 124 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:41,360 saved right when we get saved because we come from a Christian 125 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:42,840 culture. It might be a post Christian 126 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:49,680 culture today, but our expectation is that that I will, 127 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,160 my life will go better. It's it's smoother walking this 128 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:55,480 road than that road. And I will I'm here to tell you 129 00:08:55,480 --> 00:09:04,560 that that it's smoother in Christ, but it's not smoother in 130 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,680 the world sense, right? You get you get all the it's 131 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:09,800 literally you just stepped out of the foxhole, right? 132 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,600 You were in a foxhole and then day you gave your life to Jesus. 133 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,440 You, you stood up and said you, you stood up against the world 134 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:22,120 and said I'm with the other side and the other side now takes 135 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,200 notice and and you start getting those attacks. 136 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:31,200 But those attacks are completely shielded from you if you stay, 137 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,760 if you're not worried about the things the world is worried 138 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:40,240 about, if that makes sense. So when you can do that, you you 139 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,720 can, you can boast in your weakness because you understand 140 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:48,400 that he is your strength. And the, when you look at money, 141 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,560 especially in the New Testament, in the Old Testament, there was 142 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:57,240 a, there was a, it, it still lays true in the Old Testament. 143 00:09:57,240 --> 00:09:59,600 It's the same, same God all the way through. 144 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,240 Money is a burden, not a blessing. 145 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,520 And that doesn't mean that money can't bless because money can 146 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:13,360 bless. But when we have money, it comes 147 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,840 with responsibility to use it correctly. 148 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:22,000 And and that doesn't mean that doesn't mean that God doesn't 149 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,320 want to let us have nice things, right? 150 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:29,760 Just like a dad, a dad wants his kids to have nice things, right? 151 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:33,400 So it's, it's not a matter of living in poverty, but it's a 152 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,520 matter of where does, where does that stuff? 153 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,040 What does it hold in your life? Great possessions can create a 154 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:46,720 barrier between me and Jesus. It's that conversation fan I 155 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:49,200 have on a regular basis about having an open hand with 156 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,520 everything. My kids, my wife, my my, my 157 00:10:52,560 --> 00:11:01,240 stuff, right that years ago I had AI have a 1994-F-250 and I 158 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:05,160 love my truck. I got it when I got it. 159 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,320 It was my pride and joy. It's beautiful. 160 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:14,920 It's older now, so it's not as beautiful as it was then, but I 161 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,200 did a motorcycle route. I did a motorcycle. 162 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,680 I was following motorcycles up to a men's retreat and I love my 163 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:25,760 truck and rode the motors or following them all up there, 164 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:27,200 parked my truck. Everybody parked their 165 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:32,520 motorcycles and we were going to leave and they started the one 166 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:35,720 of the bikes fell over, hit a gold wing who landed on my truck 167 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,840 and gouged the side of it and did. 168 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,560 And it was one of those, one of those moments that I had to 169 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:48,600 decide is my truck more important than my relationship 170 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,200 with this guy? And it wasn't right. 171 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:55,120 I, I, my heart was right at that moment. 172 00:11:55,720 --> 00:12:00,280 And God took care of that right? And so there's still that dent 173 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:05,760 in my truck. Fast forward to 2009 many years 174 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:10,040 later and if you ever see my truck there is a there is a 175 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:16,960 dense scratch that starts right after the cab and goes to right 176 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,720 before the tail light on the bed and it goes down the body line 177 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:24,800 and it is. I had two kids at two young 178 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:29,000 adults high school, just out of high school age kids and they 179 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,160 were helping me move my my silliness because I left 2 high 180 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:35,760 school kids at my house with a Kubota tractor and my truck. 181 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:42,320 My bad. And I got back and they looked 182 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,600 like they had shot my dog. We have something to tell. 183 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:46,800 I'm like, what? What? 184 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:48,600 I mean, my dog's here, he's alive. 185 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:50,160 I'm not. I mean, there's everybody. 186 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:51,840 Nothing's burned down. We're OK. 187 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,120 And they walk me over my truck. And once again, I had an 188 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:02,360 opportunity to decide what was more important relationship with 189 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,440 these guys and and we did have a conversation, but I wasn't angry 190 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,280 with them, Right? Mistakes happen and like I've 191 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,680 told you, I've had many years of that kind of I've done that kind 192 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:17,120 of stupid. So I don't I don't God has has 193 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,800 given me that training, but he made sure that truck was never 194 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:26,880 something that I had. Mean, I really like my truck and 195 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:30,760 it is something that with the wrong heart I could have because 196 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:35,200 it was a gift, right? It's it's, it was the story of 197 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:36,800 my truck. It was a truck worth about 198 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,600 $14,000 when I bought it. And the guy selling it to me had 199 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:43,760 just got it and trade in from his parents and didn't know what 200 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,800 it was worth. And he quoted me $7000 to buy 201 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,680 it. And I went to the bank and I 202 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:51,600 didn't know, I didn't know anything about diesels. 203 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,800 It happens to be a power that you guys don't care about this, 204 00:13:54,800 --> 00:14:00,320 but just bear with me. It's a powerstroke and it's the 205 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:02,360 second-half of the year. That's the powerstroke, which 206 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,400 makes it worth that much money. And I went to the bank and they 207 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,280 were going to be the next day to give me the loan. 208 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,760 And I called him and said, hey, they got to go through. 209 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:13,720 They got to go through the council's credit union. 210 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,240 He goes, they'll give you the money. 211 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:20,520 He says you're not going to have a hard time. 212 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,960 But he, he was, he stuck. I mean, that was the handshake 213 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,160 deal he made with me. It wasn't closed yet and he 214 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:33,560 still sold it to me for that. And so it, it was a gift from 215 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,880 God that I could have put on a pedestal and said, don't touch 216 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,960 my truck, right? This is my truck, you know, and, 217 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,400 and he gave me opportunities to check my heart. 218 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,520 So it's not that God doesn't want to give us nice things 219 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:48,680 because that was really truly the desire. 220 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,240 That truck was something that was on my bucket list for years 221 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,320 before that. And he gave it to me and then 222 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,360 gave me opportunities to give it back to him and checking my 223 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:02,360 heart. So that's that. 224 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,720 Don't let things become a barrier between you and the 225 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,840 Lord. Remember what those things are. 226 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:17,320 And there is a story in the in Mark all about that Mark 1017 227 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,240 through 31 or it's actually a skip around a little bit. 228 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:23,440 But anyway, 7 starting in verse 17. 229 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,480 And he was sitting out, sorry, setting out on his journey, and 230 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,000 a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, good teacher, 231 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,200 what must I do to inherit eternal life? 232 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,920 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? 233 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,040 No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. 234 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,040 Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not 235 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,240 bear false witness, do not be afraid, honor your father and 236 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:49,120 mother. And he said to him, teacher, all 237 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:55,320 these I have kept from my youth. Now, on a side note, everybody 238 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:59,520 picks on this guy and says that he was prideful or he just was 239 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,160 lying about his outward holiness. 240 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:02,880 And I don't think that's the case. 241 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:12,080 I think this guy was truly a, a, a good Jewish man of Israel of 242 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,240 that time. He followed these rules to the 243 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,440 bet, you know, to his knowledge. And I, I say some of the hardest 244 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,400 people to reach are people that are good, right? 245 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:27,120 I got AI got a friend in in the tri-cities who does 55 miles an 246 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:28,920 hour. He follows all the rules. 247 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:35,000 He is a good man and he is lost. And trying to get him to see his 248 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,040 lostness is hard because he's a way better guy than I am, right? 249 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,480 I mean, he's because he just follows all the rules. 250 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:46,360 He is a good person. He's just lost and going to hell 251 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:48,920 because that isn't what gets us there. 252 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:59,320 So don't mock this guy as far as his he is doing all the right 253 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:08,560 things, but Jesus with no filter gives him, gives him what he 254 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,920 needs. And verse 21 Jesus looked at 255 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:17,240 him, loved him and said to him, you lack one thing, go sell all 256 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:19,040 that you have and give it to the poor. 257 00:17:20,079 --> 00:17:23,000 You will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. 258 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,640 Now this is not saying you need to sell or I need to sell 259 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,240 everything and give it away to the poor. 260 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:35,440 It is Jesus knew what was holding this man back, right? 261 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,560 It's that conversation with my we'll go back to my trucks and 262 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:43,600 say I'm using that. It's that moment that if my 263 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:48,560 truck became something that I, that I held up and it was, I, I 264 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,080 wanted my truck more than I wanted my relationship with the 265 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,120 Lord that was between, you know, I, it was my idol, It was my 266 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:57,520 thing. I, I love my truck, my precious. 267 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:03,600 Then I got to get rid of my truck and, and God will give you 268 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:08,000 opportunities and trust me, he will give you opportunities to 269 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,920 make sure that there's nothing between you and him and this, 270 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,200 this young man. And this is this is this is that 271 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,880 sad moment when he gives you those opportunities. 272 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:24,440 Verse 22, disheartened by the saying he went away sorrowful 273 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:30,080 for he had great possessions. So his possessions were more 274 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,240 important to him than his eternal life. 275 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,880 Is there anything in our lives that are more important than our 276 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:47,000 relationship with the Lord? And it doesn't have to be, It 277 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,720 doesn't have to be material and stuff. 278 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,640 Is there, is there anybody, is there anything that is more 279 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,920 important than my relationship with the Lord, my life? 280 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:00,400 I, I have, I have lots of those kind of stories. 281 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,240 There was a point where God asked me to quit chewing. 282 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:05,320 I chewed Copenhagen when I first got saved. 283 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,480 And it was not something I was convicted about. 284 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,440 I, I chewed in church. I had, I was, I was fine. 285 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:14,960 And God kind of walks you through things. 286 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,880 And one day he, I was, I was supposed to get involved in the 287 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:28,280 high school ministry. And he said, you need to, you 288 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,000 need to quit chewing. And of which that wasn't God. 289 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,440 He wouldn't ask me to do that because I can't do it right. 290 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,920 It's, I mean, at that point in my life, I was 3032 years old 291 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:43,920 and I had probably tried to quit chewing 10/12 times. 292 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,840 I mean, I had, I'd given it my best numerous times and it 293 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,760 couldn't be done. I, I had done all I could do and 294 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,720 we went round and round and, and I mean, I'd like to say I, you 295 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,960 know, 2 weeks later I quit. But that isn't, it was a six 296 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:01,520 month process and I came to a line. 297 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,000 And guys, if you come to this line, make the right choice. 298 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:07,480 I came to a line. I was either going to quit 299 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:12,560 chewing or I was walking away because all we talked about. 300 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:17,960 That was that was the only thing when I sat down to to pray, when 301 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:24,640 I sat down to read my Bible was that it was a line and he said 302 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:30,200 you either quit or go. And it wasn't him kicking me out 303 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,920 in that sense. It was either I was a guy who 304 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,000 chewed or I was a guy who followed the Lord. 305 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,000 Now, I did not have it in me to quit. 306 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:46,640 I put it down on a Sunday. And then I, I cheated and, you 307 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,400 know, and guys at work chewed. So I'd have one or two, but I 308 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,560 mean, I chewed like a can and a half a day. 309 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,640 So one or two was just enough to irritate me more than anything 310 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:57,240 else. And but I wasn't telling my wife 311 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,160 I was quitting because I didn't, if God failed, I didn't want to 312 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,240 blow it back. It's just, it's a true fact. 313 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,400 And on Wednesday I came home and I was angry. 314 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:13,640 Now I would the wife and kids were not home yet. 315 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:18,680 I got home and me and God had it out like I was mad because I 316 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:25,280 knew exactly how I felt was exactly how I knew I would feel. 317 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:32,680 I had done this and I couldn't do it and I knew I couldn't do 318 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,920 it. And then we got to a point where 319 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:41,280 God said, I know now you know, and he took it away. 320 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:48,240 I'm not guys. It was so 6th grade to 32 years 321 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,560 old. I chewed, I quit spitting when I 322 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:56,880 was in the eighth grade. So I mean, I was as as hooked on 323 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:01,120 it as you get. And on that Wednesday night, I'm 324 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:02,880 not a crap. I mean nothing. 325 00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:07,040 I, I could care. You could, I have no desire for 326 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,960 Copenhagen at all. And that isn't because suddenly 327 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,640 I got strong, it's because I gave up. 328 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:22,280 But but that isn't as much as that give up isn't something 329 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:23,800 that you just go, I'll just give up. 330 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,880 It's you have to come to the end of yourself and understand you 331 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:34,560 can't and truly understand you really want to, but you can't. 332 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,600 And then God, God will do awesome things, right? 333 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:44,280 And that's, but that's that if he asks you for something, are 334 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,080 you willing to give him anything he asks? 335 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:55,400 And then the the thing with stuff, when you look at our, we 336 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,520 want, we want our bodies to be comfortable. 337 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,520 And the problem with our bodies being comfortable is we lose 338 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,520 rest in the spirit when our bodies are comfortable. 339 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:11,760 So we have a flesh and a spirit and and we want to numb our 340 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,880 flesh with all of the fun, right? 341 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,560 We want, I mean, whether that's whether that's, you know, whirly 342 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,520 stuff, alcohol and drugs and and numbing it that way. 343 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:27,280 But it could be ice cream and and YouTube binging YouTube or 344 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,160 Netflix, right? We just want to turn our brain 345 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,200 off and veg. Well, that is spiritually 346 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:41,080 depleting and as we as we add things to our lives to to make 347 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:46,120 us more comfortable, our, our spirit is struggling in that. 348 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,680 And, and the, as I was going through this and trying to like 349 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:54,200 picture something that we can apply to that single men and 350 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,560 women are on fire for Jesus around the world today. 351 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,880 And they are on the mission fields in if you, if you look at 352 00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:07,240 mission fields around the world, you will find a large percentage 353 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:10,120 of missionaries are single young men and women. 354 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,880 And in two to five years, a fraction of them will be on the 355 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:17,920 field. What happened to them? 356 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:22,120 What changed? And what changed is stuff, 357 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,120 right? They got relationships, they got 358 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:27,680 married, they got kids, they got jobs, they got houses, they got 359 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:33,720 cars and so on. So when you go to that, when you 360 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:42,840 go to James and you look at the the rich man like mourning that 361 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:47,080 he's rich. You know, as Americans, guys, we 362 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:57,480 are a busy country, are we not? And busyness is is the enemy to 363 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,680 time with the Lord. He doesn't yell. 364 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,920 I always say I always tell people that he's not the Lord is 365 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:08,840 willing to wait, you know, with Isaiah or Elijah, Sorry, Elijah, 366 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,760 you know, he wasn't in the storm, He wasn't in the wind, He 367 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,080 wasn't in the fire. He was in the still small voice. 368 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,840 He wants that quiet time with us. 369 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:23,840 And as we add things, you know, as I'm good example going into 370 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,800 an outage and it's it's there's a there's a prayer time that 371 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,720 goes with that. But I will tell you that I have 372 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:38,680 to be seriously prayed up and and bested coming into outage 373 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:42,600 because when I get to outage and and me and the Lord have had 374 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,960 lots of conversations that this is how this work. 375 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:51,160 There is a window of time that I'm praying, but I'm I am all 376 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,720 I've got is what I'm doing at work. 377 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,800 I mean, I'm in I'm at war is the best way to put it right is he's 378 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:04,960 there with me, but my, my time is focused on what I do because 379 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,280 it takes all of my mental capacity to do it. 380 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,920 And when our life gets that kind of busy, I mean, if I ran at 381 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:18,120 that level for much longer than the, the 60 to 70 days that 382 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,000 outage takes, I would, I would crash badly. 383 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:26,560 It is A and it really isn't even 60 to 70 days. 384 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,600 It's about the 1st 30 days or that kind of ridiculous and then 385 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:33,080 you kind of coast out of it. But we have people that live 386 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:35,440 that life all the time. They're just busy, busy, busy, 387 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:40,920 busy, busy, busy, busy. And in that they're losing their 388 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,880 relationship with the Lord and they don't even see it 389 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:55,360 happening. But Jesus, like he warned this 390 00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:58,840 guy, right? He, you know, sell everything. 391 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:02,880 It's between me and you here in America. 392 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:08,080 We can, we can be broke, but true poorness is rare for us, 393 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,640 right? I mean, we broke is something, 394 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:15,040 but poor is, you know, destitute. 395 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,920 And that does happen in America, but it isn't our norm. 396 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:23,480 So when you take us as a full culture, this next thing that 397 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,840 Jesus says to his disciples is really for us, which is. 398 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:31,240 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how difficult 399 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:34,120 it will be for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of 400 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:37,640 God. And the disciples were amazed at 401 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,360 his words. But Jesus said again, children, 402 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:43,800 how difficult is it to enter the Kingdom of God? 403 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,280 It is easier for a camel to go to the eye of a needle than for 404 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:49,560 a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. 405 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,000 And they were exceedingly astonished and said to him, who 406 00:27:53,000 --> 00:28:01,160 then can be saved? And then Jesus said, Jesus 407 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:05,040 looked at them and said with man it is impossible, what with God 408 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:10,960 for all things but for but not with God, for all things are 409 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:15,720 possible with God. So when you, when you read that 410 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:19,000 and you read commentaries on it, they, they have come up with 411 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,480 this. So when they close the gate at 412 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,880 Jerusalem, then there was this little gate. 413 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,240 And if you got a camel and you took everything off of it and 414 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,440 then it could crawl through the gate. 415 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:31,080 And that was the eye of the needle. 416 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:37,960 And no, because what that sounds like it's if I work really hard, 417 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,240 what Jesus is saying, if I work really hard and I do it just 418 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,400 right, then a rich man can go to heaven. 419 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:48,600 And that's not what he said. He said it's impossible for a 420 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:54,320 rich man to go to heaven except by the grace of God, right? 421 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,800 But it's also impossible for a poor man to go to heaven except 422 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:05,320 by the grace of God. The what is the same in that is 423 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,520 that the poor man doesn't have the distractions the rich man 424 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,320 does. But that doesn't mean that the 425 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,920 poor man doesn't get his eyes on things that are distracting. 426 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,040 You know, I if I told the Ugandan that a rich that an 427 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,480 American couldn't go to heaven, he would because we were rich, 428 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,480 he would be shocked because all Americans go to heaven. 429 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:31,040 Maybe you guys know different, right? 430 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,320 And but that's their their way of thinking. 431 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:36,840 And what did when we look at when we look at Jesus and just 432 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:42,840 his his ministry on earth and and his ministry through the the 433 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:46,680 Old Testament in the New Testament and what he says about 434 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,440 how we are supposed to interact with him and how we were 435 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:55,480 supposed to see this world. Matthew 419 says follow me and I 436 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:59,000 will make you fishers of men. And that was to Peter while he 437 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,880 was on a boat working with work working as a fisherman, him and 438 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,720 his brother and they left and followed Jesus. 439 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:11,800 And then you have 820 Matthew 822 Follow me and leave the dead 440 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,680 to bury their own dead. Don't worry about your family. 441 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:16,360 Don't put them between me and you. 442 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:21,880 Follow me. Matthew 1624. 443 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:25,440 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up 444 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,040 his cross and follow me. Don't put yourself and your own 445 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,680 comforts between me and you. Follow me. 446 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,840 And then the one he just did Mark 1021. 447 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:40,440 Then Jesus looking at him loved him and said to him, you lack 448 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:43,840 one thing, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor 449 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,400 and you will have treasures in heaven and come and follow me. 450 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:59,840 So as we, as we go through this, are we following Jesus and, and 451 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:04,320 willing to take what he, what he gives us and, and pour it out, 452 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,600 or are we wanting to be comfortable and comfortable is 453 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,760 something guys is, is it's comfortable. 454 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,480 You know, the, the, I mean, I think everybody's probably heard 455 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,640 the story about how you can, how you can boil, boil the frog 456 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:23,320 alive is put it in a, in a cold pot of water and turn on the 457 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:28,120 turn on the burner and it'll just slowly warm up until he's 458 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:33,680 boiled alive, right? But he's he's comfortable and 459 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:42,840 he's comfortable until he's not. And that's, that is that when we 460 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:48,120 want to be comfortable instead? Jesus, contentment isn't being 461 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,520 comfortable. It's being content in what we're 462 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,760 doing. There's nothing in life that's 463 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:58,200 worth doing if you can think about everything you've ever 464 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:01,200 done and learned hasn't been comfortable. 465 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:04,160 Do you remember spelling when you were in elementary school? 466 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,560 Was that comfortable to learn how to spell? 467 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:14,960 I still, I'm still learning now, but or learning to run, learning 468 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:19,360 to walk anything that anything's worthwhile wasn't comfortable. 469 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:22,560 But are you in content in learning it? 470 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,320 Are you content in your walk with the Lord? 471 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,760 If we follow his, if we follow Jesus and his teachings, our 472 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:39,720 life will be blessed because we have our focus on the right 473 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:44,960 thing. And as I've said numerous times, 474 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:48,600 God wants to give us good things. 475 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,920 There is, I'm not, I'm not standing up here. 476 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,440 That's saying, hey, you guys need to go out and sell 477 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,400 everything you have, give it to the poor and live in tents at 478 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,880 the edge of the city. That's not, that's not the God 479 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:02,320 we serve. It's not the God, it's not that, 480 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:08,000 it's not what Jesus was saying here, but if that stuff, but if 481 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:13,680 if your stuff has a hold of you in such a way that that if God 482 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,920 asked you to do that, you couldn't do it, You need to have 483 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:22,840 that conversation. Is is my stuff have me or do I 484 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:27,640 have my stuff? Because if we're following 485 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:33,400 Jesus, the byproduct is that we're going to have a blessed 486 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,680 life, not the prime product. And that's really, it sounds 487 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,600 funny, but it's about, it's about, it's about perspective, 488 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,680 right? If I'm following Jesus so that I 489 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:46,640 can get, then I'm, I'm following him for the wrong reasons. 490 00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:52,680 Now, if I'm following Jesus because of what he gave, then 491 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:55,120 I'm going to get all kinds of stuff, right? 492 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:59,120 I have, I shared with you that when I got saved, I had 493 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:05,520 everything that I thought I needed and I wasn't happy and I 494 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:08,760 didn't know what that was. And what it was obviously was 495 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:13,239 that I didn't have Jesus. And then once I had Jesus, even 496 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,080 if he stripped everything away and we when I went through that, 497 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,159 even if he stripped everything away, he was still enough. 498 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,239 And we argue at that point and it's, it's definitely not 499 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:28,920 something I recommend to if you can avoid testing the testing 500 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:33,360 that it's don't. It was, it was not the funnest 501 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,760 moment in my life, but it is, it is a moment in my life that I 502 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:40,360 can look back on and say, I know that I know that Jesus loves me 503 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:43,880 and Jesus takes care of me and and that he is enough in all 504 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:51,199 situations. And where is our treasure, 505 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:52,400 right? What are we? 506 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:57,200 What are we here to do? Matthew 619 through 21 says, do 507 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,320 not lay up for yourself treasures on earth or moths, 508 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:04,200 moth and rust destroy and where the thieves break in and steal. 509 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,040 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 510 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,080 neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break 511 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:12,880 in and steal. For wherever your treasure is, 512 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,560 your heart will be there, Be there also. 513 00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:20,440 And that comes down to for years, we used to leave Uncle 514 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,400 Pat and Aunt Sherry and used to just say, well, we'll see you 515 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:28,480 here there in the air. And that's, that's more 516 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:32,280 important, right? I have a family on earth. 517 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:37,360 But it is, is it more important that I, that I take care of 518 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:42,520 their physical needs or that I can say that to them that that's 519 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:44,800 the convert that I can say that to him and with complete 520 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,480 confidence. No, When I, when I leave my, my 521 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,600 friends and my family and I and all my friends and my family are 522 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:53,920 not, I'm, I'm not there. I don't get to say. 523 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:57,240 I don't get to say I'll see you here there in the air. 524 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,680 I can, I can say I can see you here or there, but I don't know 525 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,920 where they're going to be. Is that your, is that your drive 526 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:06,760 in life? Right? 527 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,560 You're your coworkers and it's, it's not about, like I said, 528 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,920 when we're, we're having those hard conversations, it's not 529 00:36:12,920 --> 00:36:18,000 about being right. It's about leading them to the 530 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:23,120 truth. And, and that's where we lay up 531 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,320 our treasure is in heaven because that's where we get to 532 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:30,000 spend eternity. Who do we get to spend it with? 533 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,320 And it's my stuff between that conversation, right? 534 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:36,560 Am I not willing to have a conversation at work because I'm 535 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:41,920 worried about my job and, and having those, being willing to 536 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,480 have those conversations in in there? 537 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:47,720 I mean, so like as a boss at Energy Northwest, there are 538 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:50,640 lines I can't cross as a boss, but there are ways I can treat 539 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:54,680 people. You know, there is, there is a, 540 00:36:54,680 --> 00:37:00,320 a manner about how I treat people that is directly focused 541 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,920 on the Lord. And there are things that I do 542 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:15,070 on purpose that point to him. And and whenever we're looking 543 00:37:15,070 --> 00:37:20,230 at stuff, our perspective should be that things distract doesn't 544 00:37:20,230 --> 00:37:23,840 mean we can't have them, but it has to be that we understand 545 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:33,240 that they are distracting. It's it's when you look at our 546 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:44,040 lives, what will make us happy and what, what what our children 547 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:50,720 would say is ice cream and doughnuts right now if if you 548 00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:56,640 let your children be happy every day, diabetes is not happy, 549 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,160 right? If they eat ice cream and Donuts 550 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:04,720 every day, they're going to be overweight, they're going to 551 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:06,240 have diabetes and they're going to die young. 552 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:11,800 That's being comfortable. They got what they wanted is 553 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,080 God. God is not willing for us to be 554 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,880 comfortable. Now your, your child at the same 555 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,080 time, if you feed them, if you feed them a balanced meal and 556 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:25,960 they have steak and potatoes and vegetables or chicken, potato, 557 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:32,320 whatever, you're at the end of the meal, they're going to be 558 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,280 satisfied. They're going to be content, 559 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:37,160 right? Their stomach will be full. 560 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:42,960 Are we those people? One way to one way to look at 561 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:49,960 how we treat the world and how the, how this looks. 562 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,760 And if you knew, I mean, as far as check your heart, if you knew 563 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,680 you had 12 to 16 hours of your life on earth and it would be 564 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:01,480 over. So you actually knew, like you, 565 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:05,040 like God came down and said, I can't give you an exact moment, 566 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:07,640 but 12 to 16 hours from now, you won't be here anymore. 567 00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:11,280 What would you do? You know, what would the, what 568 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,560 would the rest of your life look like? 569 00:39:15,720 --> 00:39:21,640 And, and The funny thing is, Jesus gave us this picture of 570 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:27,440 exactly what we should do. John 13 three to five, says 571 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:29,960 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his 572 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:33,720 hands and that his that he had come from God and was going back 573 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:36,760 to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer 574 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,920 garments, taking a towel, tied it around his waist, and then he 575 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:44,280 poured out water into a basin and began to wash the disciples 576 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:48,760 feet to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him. 577 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:55,400 Jesus goes on to tell him in verse 14 and 15, if then your 578 00:39:55,400 --> 00:40:00,480 Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to 579 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:02,960 wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example 580 00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:08,120 that you also do just as I have done to you. 581 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:14,840 So what does that have to do with our stuff and lowly being 582 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:16,480 exalted and the rich being humbled? 583 00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:21,960 It's. Jesus left us here to serve 584 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,800 others, right? The day I got saved, the day I 585 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:33,640 got saved, I didn't leave planet earth because I'm able to serve 586 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,920 others while I'm here. I'm not able to worship the Lord 587 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,440 better because I'll do that better in heaven. 588 00:40:39,480 --> 00:40:41,000 I mean, I talked about this last week. 589 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,400 I'm not able to read the Bible better because I'll know more in 590 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:45,360 heaven. I'm not able to pray better. 591 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:49,840 I'm not even able to fellowship with you guys better, but I am 592 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:56,920 able to serve others and end witness to what Jesus has done. 593 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:02,440 And we may get to be rich, we may get to be poor, we may get 594 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:05,160 to be comfortable, or we may get to suffer. 595 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:09,880 In all the world's systems, we're spending our time and 596 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:13,680 efforts on others. In all of those places. 597 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:19,440 When we focus on our needs, we lose sights of others needs and, 598 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:27,320 and, and how I can focus on others needs is that I know 599 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:32,080 without a shadow of a doubt God will take care of me and I know 600 00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:36,400 he will. I can pour out all I have been 601 00:41:36,400 --> 00:41:42,440 given. I So if you picture this cup, I 602 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:45,360 was going to get a picture and put a put a stool up here, but 603 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:46,640 then I was just going to make a mess. 604 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:51,360 So you got to you got to use your your mind's eye and 605 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:54,240 picture. If I set this cup up here and I 606 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:57,440 filled it all the way to the top so you guys could actually see 607 00:41:57,440 --> 00:41:59,360 the water. You know how if you fill a cup 608 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:02,760 all the way up, the the surface tension will let it. 609 00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:05,520 How do I get more water in the cup? 610 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:11,440 It's completely full. How do I get more in it poured 611 00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:15,960 out. So if you're filled with if 612 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:20,560 you're filled with the spirit and this and you can look around 613 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:24,240 the world and you can walk into churches and and it may happen 614 00:42:24,240 --> 00:42:28,440 here or you know a lot. You are full. 615 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:33,240 You have you, you know your word, you, you are you're prayed 616 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:36,400 up, you're all the things, but you're stagnant. 617 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:41,320 You're not pouring out. He can't pour anymore into that 618 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:46,680 cup is as big as that cup is, unless I let water come out of 619 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:50,400 it. It's just, it's just a cup full 620 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,880 of I mean, I might be full of spirit, but that's it. 621 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:59,000 I'm not, I'm not using what he gave me for those that I'm 622 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:05,160 supposed to give it to. We, if we ever think money will 623 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:11,080 cure or comfort us and our problem, and we'll fix that, 624 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:14,040 right, That, that, well, that's what I just need that that'll, 625 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:16,600 that'll make me feel better. Now, what makes you feel better 626 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:22,000 is taking care of other people. But the, the big thing is when 627 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:25,680 we think money is a thing, we risk our heart. 628 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:32,800 We risk A hardness that can turn you away. 629 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:41,400 And without getting into all the theology of it, there's never a 630 00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:47,440 time that you want to say, I tied a knot and I'm holding on 631 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:51,000 and I'm good, right? You're growing in Christ or 632 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:58,920 you're sliding back down. Matthew 623 through 24 says, and 633 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:03,720 this is just having your perspective wrong and thinking 634 00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:07,960 it, it is it all about us and not about others. 635 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:12,120 It says, but if your eye is bad, your whole body is bad or your 636 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:13,640 whole body will be full of darkness. 637 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:17,600 Sorry, if then the light in you is darkness, how great is that 638 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:21,880 darkness? When we look at things as more 639 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:25,600 important than people, our heart has A hardness that needs to be 640 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:30,120 softened. Verse 24 No one can serve 2 641 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:33,440 masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or 642 00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:36,720 he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. 643 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:44,800 You cannot serve God and mammon or God and money walking quiet 644 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:48,240 walking with Christ following him has everything to do with 645 00:44:48,240 --> 00:44:52,040 motive understanding why we are following him. 646 00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:57,520 I mean, and I I pick on us. I mean you guys got to know when 647 00:44:57,520 --> 00:45:01,520 I'm going through this. This is beats me up as I go 648 00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:05,320 through it because I I continually ask the Lord Lord, 649 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:09,760 do I have anything? Is there, is there anything that 650 00:45:09,760 --> 00:45:13,640 I am putting between us that, that, you know, is there 651 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:19,120 something that I am not willing to give you if you asked? 652 00:45:20,960 --> 00:45:24,360 And there are there are hard conversations when we're doing 653 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:30,320 that right, because they're, I mean, there are things for me. 654 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:31,840 It's for me. It's people. 655 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:36,880 A lot of times that I am, I'm, I'm trying to, to protect them, 656 00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:46,120 trying to like they're going to be it's and the disciples, you, 657 00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:50,440 you see him over and over again that they just didn't get what, 658 00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:52,560 what the Lord was giving them right. 659 00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:55,720 They always they were, they were, you know, there's the John 660 00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:58,800 and James asking if they can sit at the right hand of Jesus 661 00:45:58,920 --> 00:46:00,680 because they're going to, they're going to be in his in 662 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:04,160 his Kingdom here on earth. And they missed it. 663 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:08,240 And then the disciples walking on the road, he looked at him 664 00:46:08,280 --> 00:46:11,080 and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall, not a 665 00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:13,960 disciple at this point because he's like, So what were you guys 666 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:16,760 talking about? And they didn't want to say 667 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:18,440 because what they've been talking about is who was going 668 00:46:18,440 --> 00:46:20,960 to be the greatest? Which one of us is the best? 669 00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:30,080 And the washing the feet, the, the remembering where our 670 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:34,600 comfort comes from is because the Kingdom of God is an upside 671 00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:40,680 down Kingdom. And in reality, our way of 672 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:46,520 thinking is upside down because you got to know that heaven, and 673 00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:51,080 this is something that if you can focus on this heaven is 674 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:53,080 real. We're ghosty. 675 00:46:53,640 --> 00:46:56,640 This is the, this is the airy side, right? 676 00:46:56,640 --> 00:47:02,000 Because this is God's real and he made us so which one's more 677 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:06,320 real, right? God, God's Kingdom is more real 678 00:47:06,320 --> 00:47:13,280 than we are. And so Jesus is at the top of 679 00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:14,680 God's Kingdom, and where's he at? 680 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:18,080 He's at the bottom, right? He rules from the bottom. 681 00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:20,200 And where are we trying to get all the time? 682 00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:24,640 We're trying to get to the top. And if Jesus is at the bottom 683 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:26,760 and I'm trying to get to the top, which way am I pointed? 684 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:29,520 Right. I'm going the wrong direction. 685 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:34,800 I'm going the opposite direction of Christ trying trying to be 686 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:40,440 lifted up instead of being willing to be brought low, right 687 00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:45,120 being being willing to serve others at any cost, being 688 00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:51,840 willing at at all points to say Lord, not me. 689 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:53,880 What? What do you want? 690 00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:00,640 When you look at one of my one of the dead guys out there, 691 00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:09,480 being humble is not thinking that, not thinking less of 692 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:12,120 yourself, but thinking of yourself less. 693 00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:18,320 And that CS Lewis said that. But it's really that being 694 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:24,560 humble is not walking around moping and saying I'm no good or 695 00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:33,120 it's, it's just I don't matter. He matters and he really does. 696 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:36,880 You know, it's that that tool analogy I've used that is, you 697 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:42,360 know, we're a tool to be used. Does the hammer brag about the 698 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:44,440 statue? Does the chisel say, look what I 699 00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:49,360 did? It's the chisel and the hammer. 700 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:53,600 Understand that the that the artist that is swinging them is 701 00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:55,920 doing amazing things and they're in awe. 702 00:48:55,920 --> 00:48:59,360 I mean, if you, if you think of a chisel and a hammer in 703 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:02,840 Michelangelo's hand, if they were, if they were animate 704 00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:07,600 objects that that actually had a spirit and could, could think, 705 00:49:09,160 --> 00:49:13,800 would they not have been amazed on what the maker was doing? 706 00:49:15,200 --> 00:49:17,600 Wow, what are you? What are you doing with me? 707 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:20,240 This is amazing. I can't believe we're turning 708 00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:25,120 that into that. Are we amazed with what the Lord 709 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:30,280 is is doing in our lives? Are we, are we, are we, are we 710 00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:34,680 resting enough in Him that he can do that stuff? 711 00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:47,800 And that we are, our position is in Christ, right with the day 712 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:50,200 you gave your life to Jesus. That is your position. 713 00:49:50,200 --> 00:49:55,120 You are in Christ and he is using you. 714 00:49:55,360 --> 00:50:02,080 You're a child of God. And so I, as I, as I went 715 00:50:02,080 --> 00:50:04,920 through this, I didn't want to end up saying that we all need 716 00:50:04,920 --> 00:50:09,960 to be poor because that isn't, it's that we need to not worry 717 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:15,040 about it. That's our, that's the, and it 718 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:18,160 doesn't mean, I mean you guys all I'm sure at some point. 719 00:50:18,160 --> 00:50:21,040 So I have friends that have guns and I have friends that have 720 00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:23,200 golf clubs and I have friends that have bows and arrows and I 721 00:50:23,200 --> 00:50:25,720 have friends that that do all kinds of different hobbies. 722 00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:29,400 And the one I picked years back was watches. 723 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:33,080 And they're ridiculous. Don't go down that road. 724 00:50:33,080 --> 00:50:38,680 It can get ridiculous, but, and I'm not as ridiculous as it 725 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:40,760 could get, but there are some watches that I would love to 726 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:43,640 have. And you know, if I win the 727 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:49,360 lottery, that might happen. But but but it but if at any 728 00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:52,760 point the Lord said those are between me and you, that'd be a 729 00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:57,960 really neat cheap sale of watches because at that point I 730 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:01,760 can't keep them anymore. If they're between, if there's 731 00:51:01,760 --> 00:51:04,240 something that I am saying, well, I'd, I'd do that as 732 00:51:04,240 --> 00:51:07,720 opposed to this, right? It's that priorities thing. 733 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:11,800 And, and that goes for guns or cars or motorcycles or whatever 734 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:15,840 your, your thing is, if it's between you and make sure that 735 00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:18,040 you've checked that, that it doesn't have you. 736 00:51:22,240 --> 00:51:26,320 But at the same time, I mean, I'm just trying to be balanced 737 00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:31,160 on this. God wants us serving others. 738 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:32,760 He wants us taking care of others. 739 00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:35,520 He wants us taking care of one another. 740 00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:41,440 And God, you're his children and He wants to take care of you and 741 00:51:42,240 --> 00:51:45,240 He wants to love you and He wants to bless you, right? 742 00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:49,240 But don't get your focus on all that He's going to give you. 743 00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:53,320 You worry about what you're supposed to do. 744 00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:56,600 You take care of the people. Got to worry about what He's 745 00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:00,440 going to do, right? There is absolutely nothing when 746 00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:04,120 God says it is better to give than to receive. 747 00:52:05,560 --> 00:52:12,640 And I have I've tested that to a, to a fault, not on purpose, 748 00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:19,200 but when we were in Uganda and living there, guys, I will tell 749 00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:24,360 you that there is no, there is no way that I blessed people in 750 00:52:24,360 --> 00:52:29,080 Uganda more than I was blessed by being able to pour into their 751 00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:32,320 lives. I will tell you that that there 752 00:52:32,320 --> 00:52:39,040 is no way you guys could bless me as much as being able to pour 753 00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:42,200 into your lives blesses me, right? 754 00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:46,120 It is way better to give than to receive at every level, whether 755 00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:50,560 that's whether that's financially, physically serving, 756 00:52:50,560 --> 00:52:53,680 whatever The thing is, you know, I mean, I would say so what's 757 00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:57,640 more fun parents? What's more fun your your 758 00:52:57,640 --> 00:53:01,320 children finding the perfect gift for you. 759 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:04,040 You know, my daughters, let's say they go and find me a watch 760 00:53:04,040 --> 00:53:09,680 that's a watch I really want they bring that or that I find 761 00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:12,600 them the perfect gift. I would much rather give my 762 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:16,040 grandchildren gifts than ever get one right. 763 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:18,920 I mean, I would sell watches to give my grandchildren gifts 764 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:21,800 because it's it's a lot of fun to find that perfect gift right 765 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:23,560 and watch them watch them light up. 766 00:53:24,040 --> 00:53:27,000 That's how God treats us. But if what we're worried about 767 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,280 is the is the gift I'm going to get, we're missing the 768 00:53:31,280 --> 00:53:35,160 opportunities of the gifts that we're to be giving. 769 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:38,280 And, and that's where that blessing comes from. 770 00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:45,320 B When we get our eyes on money as a solution instead of a 771 00:53:45,320 --> 00:53:49,080 complication, we lose, we lose sight, right? 772 00:53:49,240 --> 00:53:51,640 We lose sight of what God wants for us. 773 00:53:52,080 --> 00:53:57,120 Being anxious for nothing or being content is what the Lord 774 00:53:57,120 --> 00:53:58,720 wants for us. And how do you be anxious for 775 00:53:58,720 --> 00:54:00,600 nothing? When I'm taking care of other 776 00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:04,840 people, when I'm watching over them, he just takes care of me, 777 00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:08,240 right? He just I mean, the most freeing 778 00:54:08,240 --> 00:54:12,880 moment in my life was when we moved to Uganda and I was 779 00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:18,720 completely financially he was respond. 780 00:54:18,760 --> 00:54:21,600 He was suddenly financially responsible for me. 781 00:54:22,720 --> 00:54:25,240 I would have said he was before, but I could go to work, right. 782 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:28,360 You know, I'd go to work when I'm when I was in Uganda. 783 00:54:28,360 --> 00:54:30,200 I am not allowed to work in Uganda. 784 00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:32,920 You get a you're it's a volunteer visa. 785 00:54:32,920 --> 00:54:35,760 So it's not even a work visa. So I can't go to Uganda and then 786 00:54:35,760 --> 00:54:36,960 come up with a way to make money. 787 00:54:38,480 --> 00:54:46,200 It's when you're there, you are 100% supported and it's just OK, 788 00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:48,160 Lord, you said do this. So here we go. 789 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:55,040 And it at no point were we like rolling in money in that sense. 790 00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:57,200 But I didn't have to worry about it. 791 00:54:58,640 --> 00:55:04,840 Now I did worry about and brought I did, I did take the 792 00:55:04,840 --> 00:55:13,160 responsibility of how when money came in, how we spent it, you 793 00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:14,920 know, on on all sides in that right. 794 00:55:14,920 --> 00:55:17,200 I had to I had to take into responsibility. 795 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:20,520 OK, so ministry, what's the best use for this? 796 00:55:20,520 --> 00:55:23,520 You know, are we building churches with it or are we 797 00:55:23,520 --> 00:55:26,240 buying Bibles with, you know, that as as time, you know, lots 798 00:55:26,240 --> 00:55:30,240 of prayer and stuff, but also that was caring for my wife at 799 00:55:30,240 --> 00:55:36,000 the time that we we would go do things that were caring for our 800 00:55:36,000 --> 00:55:37,640 relationship. Long story. 801 00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:41,360 But anyway, that was, you know, whether that was going getting 802 00:55:41,360 --> 00:55:46,840 away every every two months or something and getting out of the 803 00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:50,120 village, but praying about that stuff. 804 00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:53,200 And no one, I mean, God wants to take care of us in all the ways, 805 00:55:53,200 --> 00:55:56,120 but he not not for us to worry about what that looks like. 806 00:55:56,520 --> 00:56:01,760 Does that all make sense? And when we, when we actually 807 00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:07,400 trust him with that he is, he is above and beyond what we could 808 00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:15,760 ever imagine. First Titus 6/6 through 10. 809 00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:19,120 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 810 00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:24,120 For we brought nothing into the world and we can take, take, we 811 00:56:24,120 --> 00:56:26,120 cannot take anything out of the world. 812 00:56:26,920 --> 00:56:30,440 But if we have food and clothing with these, we'll be 813 00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:33,560 contentment. But those who desire to be rich 814 00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:38,080 fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and 815 00:56:38,080 --> 00:56:41,040 harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and 816 00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:43,760 destruction. For the love of money is the 817 00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:47,480 root of all kinds of evil. It is through the craving that 818 00:56:47,480 --> 00:56:51,160 some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves 819 00:56:51,160 --> 00:57:01,120 with many pangs. The love of money the IT is. 820 00:57:01,280 --> 00:57:05,200 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. 821 00:57:06,200 --> 00:57:10,080 And that's that focus. Are we focused on the Lord and 822 00:57:10,080 --> 00:57:13,160 take it, guys. I, I know some very rich people 823 00:57:13,400 --> 00:57:14,920 that love the Lord with all their heart. 824 00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:20,120 And I know some poor people that don't and are really worried 825 00:57:20,120 --> 00:57:24,280 about getting rich, right? And it's, it's not, it's where's 826 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:26,920 your focus? And that's really over and over 827 00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:28,840 again, where's your focus? Where's your focus? 828 00:57:29,840 --> 00:57:34,720 What we're supposed to focus on is caring for people and God 829 00:57:34,720 --> 00:57:36,720 will take care of the rest, right? 830 00:57:36,720 --> 00:57:40,000 He'll take care of, you know, like I said at my job, guys, 831 00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:46,560 Emma, we've talked about, you know, no grade point average. 832 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:49,520 I, I went out to energy Northwest as a laborer. 833 00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:54,000 And, and when I first went out there, I was, it was kind of fun 834 00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:57,280 because I was a boss at, at Watts and I went to energy 835 00:57:57,280 --> 00:58:00,000 Northwest in 2009 to see what a nuclear outage was like. 836 00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:04,040 And I'm a laborer. And if you guys didn't know all 837 00:58:04,040 --> 00:58:05,560 the union, this is my joke with them. 838 00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:09,400 All the unions got together and when they got to the stuff that 839 00:58:09,560 --> 00:58:11,760 they didn't want to do, the laborer said, we'll do that. 840 00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:14,480 So that's that's what laborers do. 841 00:58:14,480 --> 00:58:18,360 So by definition, they're the lowest group, right, Because 842 00:58:18,360 --> 00:58:22,120 they're just a support craft. So when I go out to Energy 843 00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:25,440 Northwest as a support craft, I came back after about a week, I 844 00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:28,080 looked at my wife and I said, I figured out what a union laborer 845 00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:29,520 does. What? 846 00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:33,160 It's a janitor because I was just cleaning bathrooms and 847 00:58:33,160 --> 00:58:35,040 cleaning, cleaning lunch rooms and stuff. 848 00:58:35,040 --> 00:58:37,520 And then I ended up tending, but then it was you're just taking 849 00:58:37,520 --> 00:58:39,920 care of carpenters and giving them scaffold stuff. 850 00:58:39,920 --> 00:58:44,240 And but the fun thing was, is that I literally went out there 851 00:58:44,240 --> 00:58:46,720 and turned my brain off because they didn't think I knew 852 00:58:46,720 --> 00:58:49,560 anything. I was, I was expected to be as 853 00:58:49,560 --> 00:58:53,400 smart as a box of rocks. And so that's what I did. 854 00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:56,560 I just went out there, turned my brain off and went to work and 855 00:58:57,720 --> 00:59:01,800 and then 2015 rolled around and I went back out there again. 856 00:59:01,800 --> 00:59:05,120 And they may have known a little more about me at that point, but 857 00:59:05,360 --> 00:59:08,440 I was AI was a foreman. And then the next time I was a 858 00:59:08,440 --> 00:59:11,720 general foreman. And then the next time I was 859 00:59:13,600 --> 00:59:15,520 like an assistant to the general foreman. 860 00:59:15,920 --> 00:59:20,040 And then I went out this last time and I went way backwards. 861 00:59:20,360 --> 00:59:25,600 I went as in 2022, I went from being the field work supervisor 862 00:59:25,600 --> 00:59:29,760 at Watts going through COVID and all their contracts were at 863 00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:31,760 Hanford. So if I stayed, I was getting 864 00:59:31,760 --> 00:59:35,080 the shot. And so there was an outage at 865 00:59:35,080 --> 00:59:36,720 Energy Northwest, a little two week outage. 866 00:59:36,720 --> 00:59:39,640 So I went out to that because they were going to follow 867 00:59:39,920 --> 00:59:42,400 whatever OSHA said. And I was pretty confident by 868 00:59:42,400 --> 00:59:45,640 the time I got to the Supreme Court, OSHA was going to say no, 869 00:59:45,640 --> 00:59:47,960 but or the Supreme Court was going to say no. 870 00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:51,120 So we were. So I went there with a but it 871 00:59:51,120 --> 00:59:55,240 was basically it was a 2 week job and we'll see what happens. 872 00:59:56,600 --> 01:00:02,680 And two weeks came and went and the one of the one of the old 873 01:00:02,680 --> 01:00:05,440 bosses, they were going to lay me off and one of the old bosses 874 01:00:05,440 --> 01:00:09,520 said, no, we're not doing that. And he say my, but not because I 875 01:00:09,520 --> 01:00:12,200 was defending myself, not because I was where I was not 876 01:00:12,360 --> 01:00:16,320 trying to find a way to stay. I just this was the the next 877 01:00:16,320 --> 01:00:19,960 open door. So I stayed and then I probably 878 01:00:20,280 --> 01:00:24,280 without without any manipulation on my part and just showing up 879 01:00:24,280 --> 01:00:27,200 and doing the job. I made it through two or three 880 01:00:27,200 --> 01:00:31,800 more layoffs and then I was the only guy there, me and me and 881 01:00:31,800 --> 01:00:36,560 two other guys. And, and then, and then the 882 01:00:36,560 --> 01:00:40,320 general foreman got a better job and they put me in that 883 01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:44,720 position. And then we went through that 884 01:00:44,720 --> 01:00:46,600 outage as the, as the general foreman. 885 01:00:47,080 --> 01:00:50,120 And then coming into the next one, they made me a supervisor. 886 01:00:50,120 --> 01:00:53,680 And that was every one of those. I could give you the exact what, 887 01:00:53,680 --> 01:00:58,440 what and how those happened and none of them were me saying you 888 01:00:58,440 --> 01:01:01,040 should make me this, I should do this. 889 01:01:01,920 --> 01:01:07,400 If and if they wanted me today, it would be a massive pay cut. 890 01:01:07,440 --> 01:01:10,160 But if I lost my job and I went back, I just cleaned toilets 891 01:01:12,000 --> 01:01:15,200 because that's I don't deserve where I'm at. 892 01:01:15,960 --> 01:01:20,600 I don't deserve what I have. God has given me everything to 893 01:01:20,600 --> 01:01:24,360 this point. Now is my job is my job 894 01:01:24,360 --> 01:01:26,880 mentally. Do I do I have to show up and do 895 01:01:26,880 --> 01:01:30,240 what he what he asked me to do? Absolutely, but it isn't because 896 01:01:30,240 --> 01:01:32,480 I'm worthy. That makes sense. 897 01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:37,000 It's and that is our walk with the Lord. 898 01:01:37,640 --> 01:01:44,760 Do the next thing and let him worry about the results and and 899 01:01:44,760 --> 01:01:49,560 he guys, it is it is a ride worth getting on right? 900 01:01:49,680 --> 01:01:54,520 It's he's amazing with that, that that ability to just rest 901 01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:58,040 in him. We'll close with this With 902 01:01:58,040 --> 01:02:01,120 Christ, everything will never be enough. 903 01:02:01,280 --> 01:02:03,320 Oh sorry. Without Christ, everything will 904 01:02:03,320 --> 01:02:07,720 never be enough. With Christ, nothing will always 905 01:02:07,720 --> 01:02:12,200 be enough. God wants to take care of us. 906 01:02:12,200 --> 01:02:16,880 He wants to give us give his children good things like a good 907 01:02:16,880 --> 01:02:25,480 parent wants to, but being content in Christ is more 908 01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:27,480 important than being comfortable in the world. 909 01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:33,320 And so, so rest in that contentment and that, hey, Lord, 910 01:02:33,680 --> 01:02:35,520 I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. 911 01:02:35,520 --> 01:02:36,560 I'm going to, I'm going to follow you. 912 01:02:36,560 --> 01:02:39,640 I'm going to listen to you and I'm going to let you worry about 913 01:02:39,640 --> 01:02:41,320 the results. I'm going to let you worry about 914 01:02:41,320 --> 01:02:43,720 where we're going to end up. I'm going to just take care of 915 01:02:43,720 --> 01:02:45,280 people. I'm going to take care of what 916 01:02:45,280 --> 01:02:48,360 you put in front of me. And Lord, I just thank you for 917 01:02:48,360 --> 01:02:50,320 everybody here. I thank you for this time. 918 01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:53,120 I thank you for these people. I thank you for the church that 919 01:02:53,120 --> 01:02:56,240 you've given us, the body that we get to hang out with. 920 01:02:57,160 --> 01:02:58,920 Lord, I thank you for all that you've done. 921 01:02:58,920 --> 01:03:00,600 I thank you for all that you're doing. 922 01:03:03,080 --> 01:03:05,960 That you would go before us this week, Lord, that we would have 923 01:03:05,960 --> 01:03:11,360 conversations with people, Lord, that we would have opportunities 924 01:03:11,360 --> 01:03:14,720 to pour into, into our coworkers lives, into our family's lives, 925 01:03:14,720 --> 01:03:18,400 into our friends lives in the, in the grocery store clerks. 926 01:03:18,840 --> 01:03:23,720 Lord, that you would give us those opportunities that you 927 01:03:23,720 --> 01:03:28,760 would make them obvious that we, we would just be be servants of 928 01:03:28,760 --> 01:03:32,800 you, Lord, and serving our community and our, our area, 929 01:03:32,880 --> 01:03:34,320 Lord, and we just love on people. 930 01:03:35,240 --> 01:03:37,600 But Lord, that you would give us that power through your Holy 931 01:03:37,600 --> 01:03:41,920 Spirit, that you'd fill us up for us to pour out and pray all 932 01:03:41,920 --> 01:03:43,840 this in Jesus name, Amen.