Welcome to the For the Gospel podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Costi Hinn, and I want to talk to you about how to build a strong work ethic. We're in a series here on work. If you are just picking up with us, you can go back and listen to the last episode where I talk about laziness and how to kill it and overcome it. But for this episode, I want to think through the kind of culture we're living in. We live in a culture that loves shortcuts. And everybody wants success. Very few want or even embrace sacrifice. Everybody wants results. They don't want to have discipline. Everybody wants influence. Very few actually want to work. And sadly, that mindset can creep into the church. I am not some expert on everything, but on this topic in particular, I've got a lot of passion and a lot of experience. I have been on both sides of this. I've been the young guy entitled in my first job. I'll never forget it. I worked for a company in California, and I was just out of college and I went to work for this company. It was an athletic training company. And I think within like the first couple of months, I, with my entitled Prosperity Gospel, Rich kind of silver spoon, the way I got brought up in my family, encounter for the first time a boss who sort of just, you know, is like, get the job done, work. Like no one's going to coddle you, uh, prosperity gospel boy. You're cute with your Hummer. Now do the job. And I was coming out of college where I had a great work ethic on the field and in the gym and had no issue with that. It didn't necessarily translate to the workplace. I was a hard worker in theory, but when it came to dealing with people or the big world out there, I was still a little prosperity gospel, rich kid brat. And I got schooled and I ended up storming out of this job and I quit. And I remember my boss telling me, who had just paid me on commission work that I had done, you go and get that money back. You didn't earn it. So I went and got the money, handed it back to him, hit the road, and I said, I'm gonna go work for my family. Well, that didn't last. Many of you know the testimony. Years later, I leave the prosperity gospel, and who do I call? I call that old boss. And he says, I can pay you 10 bucks an hour to throw batting practice to middle school and high school kids, and I'll see what I can do for you. Fast forward from there, I take it. I'm working a job. I'm in ministry for real. And wouldn't you know it? I'm so happy to have that job. I was driving some 60 miles down to Orange County from Rancho Cucumonga area, newlywed wife with Christine, and I'm just happy to be throwing BP. Fast forward about six months later, I'd been promoted, was making a ton more money. They were starting to franchise. And back then, I was already clear I wanted to be in ministry. And before you know it, I ended up getting a full-time role offer in ministry. And the rest is kind of history, if you know the testimony. What did I learn between those two experiences? I learned that work is work, and you got to respect your boss. And you can't throw a hissy fit and read the Riot Act because somebody told you what to do and you don't like it. You can't have a therapy session every afternoon because you know you just can't handle it. And life after college baseball and life after daddy's money paid all the bills and the prosperity gospel, cushy lifestyle, you know, was different. And now this is hard. And someone's telling me what to do. It was different. And I had to learn pretty quick. Get over it. Do your job, Costi. Life is not gonna hand you a glass of lemonade and a nice little ottoman, put you in a recliner and just start dishing out money. You need to work. Well, now, fast forward all these years later. I pastor a church, a lead for the gospel, involved in training men. And I see this all the time: a generation of young, entitled men. But I also see a generation of young guns who love the work. They want to get after it. They actually embrace authority structures, clarity, and order. And when you set them on a track, they run like a race car. What is the difference? It's a mentality. It doesn't have to do with whether or not you grew up with money, although that can contribute to it if some kid was pampered. It doesn't have to do with whether or not you were poor or you're black or white or this or the other. No, no, no. It's everything to do with your mentality. How a father or mother or pastor or coach or boss trains someone to get after it. And we need a little bit of that blue-collar mentality in the church today. We can very often start thinking, you know, faithfulness with our work ethic is optional and effort doesn't really matter. And showing up, you know, is enough. I just show up. No, the Bible actually paints a very different picture. God does not call his people to laziness, to entitlement. Nothing about life in Christ means that you're just coddled along. He calls us to diligence. And we don't hustle for our identity. We work hard because of worship. We love God and God's been gracious. Therefore, we get after it with a heart of gratitude. And so I want to talk to you about something very deep, very practical. And I want to do a kind of how-to here: how to have a good work ethic, and maybe if you want to put in parenthesis, a godly good work ethic. First, you got to view work as worship. You have to view work as worship. Colossians 3.23, I mentioned it last episode, and I just want to bring it up again. This is kind of like a banner verse for you. Paul the Apostle laying out the order for family relationships and work relationships, slaves and masters, bosses and employees. And after verse 22, when he says, slaves in all things, obey your masters on the earth, not with external service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, meaning, don't just do your boss, you know, some external service. You gotta want it, mean it, and really work as though if they saw you when no one was looking and they could spy on you, you're getting after it for the Lord. Out of that context, Paul then says, Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as working for the Lord and not for men. The word heartily means from the soul. Well, this changes everything. Now, you're not just answering emails, you're not just leading a meeting. If you're a stay-at-home mom, you're not just changing diapers, I'm not just preparing sermons. You who own businesses, you're not just running a business. You and I, we are serving Christ. And that can happen in a five-star restaurant, in a corporate boardroom, in a classroom, or on the changing table. Because a godly work ethic begins with remembering that your work is not just a task. Brother or sister, father, mother, student, whatever you are, whoever you are, it is an offering. And too many people, they work for approval and they work for applause, and they want people to look at them and they're chasing the promotion and they just want more and more, but they don't do more. The believer is working for an audience of one. John MacArthur, who's no stranger to biblical teaching about work and the practical aspects of the Christian life, once said Christians should be the hardest workers in any place because they are ultimately serving Christ. That means you do not cut corners. You don't give half an effort, you don't slack when no one's watching, because our God is always watching. There's another passage I want to highlight here, and this contributes to my work ethic mentality, and I hope that it will encourage yours. It's Proverbs chapter 13, verse 4. If you're following along, you just go to the book of Proverbs, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and we'll talk about Ecclesiastes here shortly. But Proverbs 13, verse 4. It says, The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made fat. What does that mean? It's like the only good mention of being fat in the Bible. Fat with what? Well, fat with diligence, fat in your soul, meaning you are going to experience this great sense of joy and purpose. Okay? You're gonna experience joy and purpose. And there's a major difference here between laziness and uh hard work. And it comes down to feelings. Feelings. You have got to operate by what you know and what you've been called to, not by your feelings. Last episode we talked about the perils of laziness and giving into feelings, and lazy impulse is all part of that. But disciplined people are ruled by convictions, and so it's discipline over your feelings. Discipline over your feelings. A godly work ethic says, I'm gonna do what needs to be done, whether I feel like it or not. Discipline over feelings. Feelings say, you know, I'm tired. I'll do it later. I don't feel motivated. No one's no one's paying attention to me. Discipline says, I'm gonna start anyway, I'm gonna stay anyway, and I'm gonna finish it anyway. I love Charles Spurgeon for so many reasons. Obviously, a great historical preacher, but one of his most famous quotes, he said, by perseverance, the snail reached the arc. And if we apply that to work ethic, that's it. No talent, no fanfare, no hype, just perseverance. Not, oh, I'm really good at this. You know, I can do this and I can do it. No shortcuts, no coasting. Having a good work ethic is about perseverance. Discipline over feelings is about perseverance. I tell my sons this already in life as I'm training them for a future of hard work and getting after it. I tell my boys, listen to me, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work. That's perseverance. I may not be as talented as you. You might have all the swag in the world and you know what you're doing, and you can then, you know what? I'll outwork you. That's the mentality we need to train our sons to have. I'll outwork you and I'll outlast you. I ain't talented, I ain't fancy, I ain't pretty. You know what though? I got work in my veins, a drive to do it. That idea of work, perseverance. I'm built for this. That kind of mentality. Work boots mentality. The idea of putting your hands to the plow. That's gotta be in your blood. It's part of your DNA. Work. It's a good thing. Learn to persevere. It's discipline over feelings. Another one. Number three, do the hard things first. It's another mentality that will help you. The book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 9, verse 10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. For there's no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. Work. It's work. Most people will live in avoidance of this right here. Whatever your hand finds to do, do the bare minimum. Don't overdo it. Uh procrastinate and do it when you feel like no. People, people who procrastinate, delay, push off the hard stuff, all wonder eventually, why am I not getting promoted? Why am I lacking in development? Why am I short on opportunities? I got news for you. It's not everyone else. It's you. It's your avoidance of hard things and forgetting Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10 mentality. Ecclesiastes 9-10 mentality will keep you progressing and advancing because a godly work ethic will lean into difficulty, and bosses love workers who lean into the hard stuff. You don't run from hard things, you run at them. Why? Well, because a good work ethic, honoring God, choosing discipline over feelings, actually learns to love the hard stuff because you know what the hard things are gonna do to you. Hard things build strength, hard things build discipline, hard things build endurance, and that's where the growth happens. And so if you constantly choose easy street, you're gonna become weak. If you've wondered why you're weak, it might be because you always take the easy out. Again, you might have some issue that needs addressing, you might have areas of weakness, you need to get strong, but if it's a mentality issue, well, it's because you're constantly running from hard things. If you choose what's hard, you will become strong in this. Fourth, consistency beats intensity. I used to have a coach who would often say this consistency beats intensity. You get the guys that shoot off like a canon and they're all hyped up, and then all of a sudden they just kind of deplete and deflate. Galatians chapter six, verse nine. Paul the Apostle is telling the church to bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ and to walk by the Spirit and to get after it together, and how to restore people, and how to examine your own work. And he says in Galatians chapter six, verse nine, let us not lose heart in doing good. For in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. And then what does he say? Verse 10. So then, while we have opportunity, let us so so then the connecting point to what he's saying, let's do good to all people, especially those who are of the household of faith. I want to apply that. First of all, in the church, you and I we should be get after it kind of Christians, serving, giving, fellowshipping, providing, encouraging, exhorting, teaching, discipling everything we do in the church. We're not growing weary. No way. We've got the opportunity to do good to people, and especially those of the household of faith. So we're gonna bond with the church, we're gonna build the church. Jesus is doing it, but who does he use? You and I. We are Christians. We're active in carrying our cross every day and getting after it for the glory of God. When you apply that to your mentality, let me just tell you, friend, you're gonna be going hard all the time. And you'll do that knowing that rest is biblical. I've talked to you about rest before on this podcast. But all of a sudden, encouraging people and loving the hurting and bearing burdens, all of that, you've got this gospel mentality that has penetrated your thinking and you're thinking of the future. Well, that's gonna mean consistency versus this intense, hype-filled burst of effort that never lasts. Maybe that's you. You go, I kind of read my mail costy. How do I go from this intense, hype-filled sort of burst to consistent, steady cadence? Well, by remembering, anybody can go hard for a day, but very few people stay faithful for years. A godly work ethic then is not going to be sustained by emotional bursts. You're going by a lot of feelings. And if you operate by feelings, you won't be disciplined. You can't operate on random motivation and short-term hype. You got to go with steady faithfulness. You can't just scroll Instagram and when you see the hype real, you're like, yeah, let's go, let's get after it. And then all of a sudden that fizzles. You're just living on dopamine hits. You've got to have a mentality where day after day, week after week, year after year, you understand that I'm not gonna grow weary. I'm not gonna lose heart. I'm gonna do good. Why? In due time, I'm gonna reap a harvest. That's where the fruit comes from. You talk to any farmer, doesn't happen overnight. I had a former pastor who used to always talk to us young men about burnout in ministry and how a solid and consistent work ethic paired with a solid, consistent spiritual life, would keep a man from burning out. I think burnout is often related to a mismanagement of our spiritual priorities, a home that's out of order, some other aspect, not doing too much. You're doing too much of the wrong things. However, my pastor and mentor used to always say, if I had to choose, if I had to choose, and he would quote D.L. Moody, he'd say it's better to wear out than rust out. In other words, you know, we don't burn out recklessly. We work faithfully. He he's saying, I'd rather burn out than rust out. I want to wear myself out. What is that? It's a Paul the Apostle mentality being poured out like a drink offering, working faithfully, working purposefully, working steadily. And so for you, maybe that's it. Maybe that's the secret for you is to really hone in on consistency and thinking about that steadfast cadence, not hype, not intensity, but consistency. Just do something without drama, without switching, without a big hoopla. Just do work quietly, consistently for six months, then a year, then two years, then three years, and watch what happens in your life. Fifth, eliminate excuses. I want to go back to Proverbs chapter 22 for this. Proverbs 22 verse 13, a very, very helpful passage, something that is useful for parenting as well as adulthood. Proverbs 22, 13. The sluggard says, so the lazy person says, There's a lion outside. I'll be killed in the streets. It's talking about work. It's almost humorous. Obviously, it's exact it's exaggeration, it's hyperbole in the poetry of the Proverbs. But what is it? It's excuse making. Oh, there's a lion out there. Oh, it's hard. Oh, there's a lot going on. Oh, it's scary. We do the same thing. Oh, it's a busy season. Oh, I've got a lot going on. Oh, now's not the right time. You know, I'm I'm feeling pretty stretched. When in reality, much of the time, if we're honest, we're able to do something, but we're not comfortable being stretched. We're selfish and we're lazy. We don't want to be inconvenienced. We don't like the hard things, so we make excuses and we punt. Proverbs is saying there is a type of person who says, oh, there's a line in the road. It's always the I can't and why can't I, and then fill in the weak excuse versus a can-do mentality. But excuses will keep you stagnant, my friend. Maybe, just maybe. You're not getting raises, you're not getting after it, you're not getting increase, you're not seeing your life advance, you're kind of in this endless cycle of the same problems because you make a lot of excuses. I remember the day I had to look in the mirror and begin to tell myself what my mentor was already telling me. I just had to actually believe it. Costi, there is no cavalry coming over the hill to do it for you. Nobody's coming to save you, brother. Jesus already saved you. He died for you and he loves you and he's atoned for your sins. Now get up and get after it for his glory. And I was in that season kind of a crybaby. I was one of those young guys that after I got saved and I lost family and I lost friends and I lost a lot, I was all fired up and it was, yeah, because I was in the moment of intensity and hype. And then all of a sudden, when it wore off and I had nothing and life was really hard, well, I was looking for someone to blame. And I began to make excuses and blame other people. I was a bit whiny. I was kind of a crybaby for a few months, and my mentor had to call me in and say, Look at me. Yep, there's no inheritance for you. That is true. Yep, Uncle Benny ain't putting you on his plane anymore, and daddy ain't coming to pay the bills. You're not gonna get any money, you're not gonna have anything, so just get after it. But you know who has you? Your father in heaven. You know who provide for you? Jehovah Jirah. But you ain't gonna get anywhere by sitting around wallowing. And he said it in nicer ways, although I would have loved for him to say that too. I could take it. But he basically told me, you got to take ownership. Stop making excuses. Stop asking, you know, why did this happen to me? God, why are you doing this? Stop complaining and start asking, God, what can I do with what you've placed in front of me? What is the reason for the trial? And how can I leverage that for the glory of your name? He taught me about an attitude of service rather than making excuses. I'll never forget that. And it is my joy to pass that on to you. Maybe for some of you, that's like sandpaper and I'm rubbing you the wrong way today. Okay. But I think for some of you, you're going, yeah, I need to hear that. Fire me up. Let's go. Because it is difficult at times, even as men. We're not wired for that in this generation because a lot of us have been coddled. One of the worst things you can do, if you're a parent or a grandparent, if you're raising young men, don't coddle them. You don't need to crush them either, needlessly, and be all aggressive. But listen, teach them. Teach them that we work. Teach them that nobody's coming over the hill to save them. The Calvary ain't coming over. No one's gonna bail you out. This isn't like, you know, the government bailout program where you can just run everything to the ground and then somebody will fix it. No, we need to be men who are responsible and take ownership rather than make excuses. So there is no line in the road. Get out there and get after it and work. Finally, number six, finish what you start. I'm gonna think about this with you logically and with exegetical faithfulness from 2 Timothy 4 7, where Paul the Apostle says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I've kept the faith. That is about his ministry, no doubt. Conversion, faithfulness. Serving Christ. We're not just loosely applying that to work ethic here. I want you to really think Paul in his ministry didn't just start strong. He finished. If you were to apply that kind of gospel mentality to everything you do, since everything you do, 1 Corinthians 10, 31, whatever you do, whether you eat, drink, do all for the glory of God. We've talked about that before. If you apply that to your work ethic, well, you finish what you start. A lot of people don't finish what they start. They don't follow through. But part of being a godly, hard-working individual is building up those follow-through muscles. When you do this, you are the kind of person who keeps their word, completes the task, and sees it through. That's integrity. That's hard work. And Paul the Apostle, at the end of his life, what does he get to say? He gets to say, I've run my race. I finished the course. I've kept the faith. I've left it all on the field. Now, if we were to apply that at the end of our life, that's awesome. Paul ends up, by the way, getting his head chopped off, not exactly the way somebody would consider finishing well, but it is because he did exactly what Christ had called him to do and he finished the course. I constantly think of that passage, though, with relation to my day. At the end of a day, have I left it all on the field? Have I worked hard? Have I kept my word, completed the tasks that I needed to complete? Am I seeing it through? Would the elders say, Costa, you did exactly what we've called you to do? Do I follow up? Do I get it done? That's integrity. And at the core of a good Christian work ethic is a Christian who has that mentality. And even more so. A Christian who understands the gospel. A godly work ethic is not at all about earning God's love. This isn't some rah-rah hype speech. It's that you already are loved in Christ. And now your work ethic is a response to his grace. And so in all these things, don't forget the gospel. The gospel is the reason you work hard. Not to be saved, but because you're saved. And because of the gospel, you and I, we are not working for our identity. You're actually working from identity. I am a Christian. You are a Christian. Therefore, we work hard. Christ has been gracious and good to us. Therefore, we get after it for the glory of his name. And so whether you're leading a company, pastoring a church, raising kids, changing diapers, or building something behind the scenes, you do it with diligence and excellence and joy for the glory of God. I hope that this episode has helped you think deeply about how to build a strong work ethic. And I love this topic. And I hope that even some of my background or personal experiences, maybe you can relate with them. And just like me, you've learned that a work ethic is part of a godly lifestyle. A work ethic is part of what Christ has called us to. Being a Christian means we should be really the hardest workers around. And so I'm grateful that you would take the time to dig in and be challenged in this area. Above all that, I just want to say thank you to those of you who have been supporting the ministry. Whether you're a new or longtime gospel patron, uh, this year, things are strong and our prayer is that they stay strong. This has been such a wonderful start to 2026. You know, last year, as many of you know, we had a really rough financial stretch from April to September. Our support dropped by some $140,000 below budgeted need. And this year, as we made plans and sought to be stewards of what God brings, we were asking the Lord to keep us strong through these spring and summer months and to give us a strong start to the year. And he has been doing that thus far through your support. And so we're grateful for his blessing through you. And I do want to make note of how grateful we are. We get to produce these resources and give them to people 100% free. We are donor-funded, and they are reaching millions of people literally every month. And that is because of your faithfulness. We could not do this without you. And so thank you so much for making 26 uh such a strong year, and we pray that God would continue to sustain the provision for this ministry. If you want to learn more about how to partner with us or just learn more about the ministry in general, you can go to forthegospel.org, click give. All the information is there, and we're going to keep going with this series on work. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.