Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and I want to talk about the fulfillment that we get from work. You might think that is a bit of an oxymoron, work is work, it's kind of a grind. But I would argue biblically, work should be and was designed to be fulfilling. Maybe some of you are struggling right now with purpose, restlessness, anxiety, a lack of motivation. It could be related to other things. So I'm not here to diagnose every other issue, but I would just say it could be, might be related to something deeper and a lack of purpose and a lack of work and a lack of getting after it with what's right in front of you. There's a story often told about sled dogs in Alaska. I've heard some people talk about this before in that line of work. And during the offseason, sled dogs can be some of the most challenging animals to work with because what once brought this high power, high drive animal a lot of purpose is now removed for a season. And then people bring the sled dogs into their home as pets. Well, no sleds, no pulling, no purpose, off-season comfort, all of these things. And there was a study they did. What happened? Well, the dogs didn't relax at all. They didn't enjoy it. You know, they chew the furniture and wreak havoc in the house because they weren't made for comfort. They weren't made to just sit around. They were made to pull. And I would argue that more often than not, your issue and my issue is that we're not over busy. We're probably too idle. We were wired for work. We were wired for purpose. And yet, I know the messaging for you and I constantly is rest and play and recreation and doom scrolling and videos and all of it. And in the end, a lot of us go sideways because what's true for sled dogs is true for humans. We were meant to work and we were meant to find purpose and fulfillment in our work, not just be workaholics, but to do it for the glory of God. And I need to say that because before you think I've turned into some workaholic slave driver over these last two episodes on work ethic, I want you to think about a proper theology of work here. And I want you to understand that work was God's idea before the fall. So, foundational truth number one, if you're watching on YouTube, this will be on the screen. If you're listening, let me just say this to you: work was God's idea first, or work was God's idea before the fall. In Genesis chapter 2, verse 15. I've got my Bible open there. I'll just read it to you. Then the Lord took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. I made a note in my Bible a number of years ago. Work was a pre-fall purpose. We often think of work as the result of sin. Like, you know, it's part of the curse. But that's not what the Bible teaches. The Lord God took the man, he put him in the garden, so there's purpose and intention, and he said, cultivate it and keep it. Here you go, Adam, you've got a job. And so work's not a curse, but toil is. And Genesis chapter three, if you remember the curse, the serpent leads Eve into sin. Adam sins all of it, and it says to Adam, God says to him, Because you've listened to the voice of your wife, and you've eaten from the tree of which I about which I commanded you, you shall not eat from it. Cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles, it will grow for you. So toil, work being a grind, work being brutal, that's the result of a curse. But there's a redeemable element of this. God still gives us work to do. Work itself is a gift. We should see it that way. And it's part of how we reflect God, who is a working God. He created, he formed, he sustains. We're made in his image, and therefore we reflect his purposes. So, my friend, you were not made to drift, you were not made to chill, you were made to build. You were not made to consume. You do consume, but you were made with purpose to contribute. And when you step into that God-ordained design, well, you're gonna find a God-ordained fulfillment. So let me just give you four blessings here that you're gonna receive from work and fulfillment, the way God's designed it in your life. And what's my goal in laying these four truths out or these four blessings is they would stir your heart to take joy in your work for the glory of God. Or maybe, maybe I'm challenging you without even meaning it or meaning to, but you start to think, you know, I might need a different career path. Or maybe what I'm doing isn't very aligned with my passion and my beliefs and glorifying God. The Holy Spirit will lead you in that because there's really two realities. Number one, all work is worship. So we're not going to make a big deal about the mundane and go, well, I'm not, I'm not fulfilling my purpose because I'm miserable. No, you might just be called by God to see work is worship and go stock those grocery shelves and wait those tables or cut those lawns and do that for the glory of God. So we want to be very careful. Imagine the stay-at-home mother saying, you know, I'm so much more than just a diaper changing mommy right now. I need to go find my purpose. Well, actually, God says, you are in the highest calling in the world for those children. A mother is a world changer when she's ministering to her home in her first ministry. Likewise, a man may be providing for his home and all of a sudden have some dream about doing something else and go, I'm just gonna go do that and not provide for his home. He's like, Well, I'm trying to find my purpose. That's how I'm gonna glorify God. Well, the Bible also says that a man who won't work and provide for his own is worse than an unbeliever. So you have these kind of realities we need to stay balanced in. But for some of you, the Lord's opening doors and you're kind of wrestling with it and it's like God is calling you to get going. So, number one, work gives you purpose. Work gives you purpose. Without meaningful work, life will feel empty. That's why a lot of men they spin in circles. And it's because they don't have a job, or retirement is wearing down the man. They've done studies, retirement can actually wear down a man's health more than work stress ever did because he's not doing something with his hands. Work is part of a man's purpose. And so, on one hand, it may be hard to do your job or difficult to embrace it and have joy in it. Well, in a very real way, get over that. Work is worship, honor God with it. And then while you're doing that, if you need to make a career path shift because you want to pursue a passion, do that. But God will always guide and provide. So you're looking for his providence in that. And I have a book about God's will. It's usually here on the desk. Uh, God's will. If you want to talk about decisions, jobs, where to go, what to do, this book will help you and it's really practical. I wrote it for this kind of topic. But here and now, we got to understand that you're gonna have comfort and free time and recreation, all these things in your life, and yet still feel like something's missing. Why is that? Because purpose is not found in just wandering aimlessly with play, fun, and recreation. Purpose is found in doing what you were made to do. And Ephesians 2.10 actually ties the idea of good works and getting after it to what God has purposed for us. It says we are his workmanship. This is after Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, For by grace through faith we've been saved, not as a result of works. No one will boast then. It's all God who's done it. What have we been saved for? Well, we're his workmanship. We're God's design. And we're created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them. This is good deeds, this is righteousness, it's obedience, it's also purpose in our work and doing things that matter for the glory of God. Work's a huge part of that. You were designed for action, not random action, not self-centered action, God ordained action. And remember, work can take on different forms, but it all stems from a person driven by divine purpose, this God-glorifying ambition or direction, whatever you want to call it. It's the idea of I'm gonna make it my aim to glorify God no matter what I'm doing. And so you can work by leading your home, serving your church, building something meaningful, cleaning up your yard, doing a job with excellence, fixing a sink, changing a diaper, cleaning out the air filters, painting a wall. You can go on and on. Work and getting after it in your life are given by God to make you feel aligned with his purposes. He has called his people to be busy about his business. Nowhere is that more evident than for men with employment and building something and providing and striving and taking risk and stepping out in faith, and for women who get married and have a home to nurture and children to care for. And as the Lord provides children, nurturing them, and if the Lord doesn't provide a woman with children right now, because God is the one who opens and closes the womb, then a woman can find great purpose in serving the church, serving her community, serving her husband, being in the ministry. And single people don't even get me started. My great regret is that I didn't use my singleness more wisely. I didn't walk circumspectly, as Paul says, just redeeming the time. Oh, I wish I could go back. So now, because I get to pastor a lot of you, I say, don't make the mistake so many of us did. What is wisdom? It's not just doing the right things, it's also learning from the stupid or foolish mistakes of others. So learn from us who tell you. Use your singleness. I talk to people all the time who are living with purpose when it comes to work. And they tell me, I just finally feel like I'm doing what I was created for, or they'll say, you know, I've had a bad attitude for a while about my job, and I just realized that all of it's worship. I've got some goals and some things I want to do one day, but right now God's giving me a job. And I can do that as worship unto him, even if it seems mundane to me. That's fulfillment. You were meant to feel that. So fill your time with purpose. Number two, another blessing of work is that it produces satisfaction. Proverbs 13, 4 was that passage I briefly mentioned in talking about laziness. And there's also another side to this it's having a fat, satisfied soul from work. Proverbs 13, verse 4 is this passage. And let me just turn there really quick and read this to you. Proverbs 13, verse 4, the soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing. We talked about that with laziness, and the soul of the diligent is made fat. Oh, you and I, we we want fat souls. That's that's full fulfillment. And it comes from diligence. There's a satisfaction that only comes from effort in our work. I've got a buddy who talks about earned fulfillment. He calls it earned dopamine. And the idea is no quick hits, no pornography, no junk food, no just rushing to things and do it. You're gonna earn the reward of satisfaction through a job well done. Your life is not going to be this endless hit of unearned dopamine where you just get these highs. That's how addictions start, and all you're doing is chasing the next one. Oh, no, no, no. We're gonna get after it, we're gonna be patient, we're gonna be like a farmer who doesn't see the crop burst right away, but tills the soil, plants the seeds, waters it faithfully, times it right according to the seasons, and then there's a harvest. That feeling when you finish a hard day of work, that feeling when you decided to do the hard thing first, that feeling after the workout, that feeling after choosing to make a healthy meal rather than just grab a bag of chips, that feeling when you've done something meaningful, you pushed through the resistance, you've overcome and you've prayed and sought the Lord, and there's this deep internal reward. Do you know that's not just physical? It's not some psychological babble, that is spiritual. God designed you and I to earn that satisfaction through toil and labor. It's a good thing. And so diligent people are often enjoying. I'll call it the good grind, because I know toil is part of the fall. So maybe that word might confuse you. Say toil. What do you mean, Kai? Let's call it the grind. It's the good grind of a tired, get after it, deeply fulfilling day. Work was designed to give you that earned feeling, the earned dopamine, if you will. Number three, another blessing. Work shapes your character. Work's tough, and it's one of God's primary tools for sanctification. You think about all of the things that the Bible talks about with reference to growth, and you'll see a lot about trials. Work is gonna put you in the path of difficult people, and it's gonna expose or sharpen your patience or expose your lack of it, your discipline, your integrity, your endurance. That's all God's design as well. You know Romans chapter 5, perhaps, verses three and four. Paul is talking about trials and tribulations. He says we exalt in our tribulations, meaning these hard things that are that are trials. We know that tribulation brings perseverance. So I'm gonna go through really hard things. People are gonna be difficult, work is gonna be a drag emotionally, mentally. I mean, I'm in the grind, more so the grind. I'm in the fight. I mean, we're in the trenches, bullets are flying. And guess what? That's gonna bring perseverance, perseverance is gonna prove your character. You're not gonna lose it in that moment. You're not gonna fail the heart test, you're not gonna quit, you're not gonna implode. No, you're gonna trust the Lord and keep on marching, and proven character then leads to hope. That's what Paul says. Work is going to be paired with trials and tribulations. And so work that stretches you and presses on you isn't something to run from. Stop running from the hard things. Pressure produces something wonderful. I had a college coach who used to always write on this chalkboard pressure makes diamonds. He was an old school guy in California when I was in JUCO before going to DBU, and there was a chalkboard in the dugout, and he would write a new quote on it every practice. Pressure makes diamonds. And he used to tell us, learn to love it. Stop going up there shaking in your boots, thinking you're gonna fail. Love the pressure. The pressure's shaping you. You know, diamonds, they get shaped by immense pressure. Pressure's good. We got a generation right now. And I'm not picking on the young ones, I'm just saying we got a generation that has been fed a constant diet of fear and anxiety from scrolling and social media. They've done studies that have proven the detrimental effects of social media with respect to anxiety. One of the reasons for the gospel invades social media is to push against that because we're not going to just let the enemy have his way. We're gonna use these mediums for the glory of God and get into your feed and get into your mind and get into your car and wherever else we can get to give you the truth. And that's because this generation is being inundated. Well, what does that do? It creates fear. Well, all of a sudden, high pressure situations are causing kids to crumble. Suicide rates are through the roof, gender dysphoria and all of this chaos, fear and anxiety completely through the extremism is rising. Why? Well, because we've taught a generation to fear everything. We're not giving them that old school type of childhood where they have good pressure, we're coddling and bubble wrapping, and all of a sudden they get in the workplace and pressure makes diamonds. Well, no, pressure makes them run. When you show up even when you don't feel like it, when you do things the right way, even if you don't necessarily enjoy it, and then you learn to enjoy it because the results and the process and the refinement of your heart become your joy. You are in the money, if you will. And I'm not talking about the paycheck. You're in the right kind of treasure, you're getting the right kind of reward from work. What about that feeling you get from staying faithful when things are tough? What is that? Oh, it's character being forged. That's the blessing of God. So God will use your work not just to produce outcomes, but to produce you. Number four, work helps you glorify God. Ultimately, work is not just about you, it's about him. So when you work with excellence, with integrity, with diligence, all of those things, you're putting God on display, you're reflecting his character, and that's what we do, that's who we are. You're showing his order, you're showing his creativity, you're showcasing his faithfulness. And you can do that whether you're running a company, working for somebody who owns the company, waiting tables, cooking a meal, changing a diaper, or fixing toilets. Your work is a platform for worship. And there's a deep fulfillment in knowing that what you do and the way you do it will make work matter in eternity. And that's what I want you to understand. God sees it all. He will bless it, he will increase you according to his will, he will use your efforts and multiply them for his glory. You just focus on being faithful and viewing all of it through the lens of God-honoring worship. The sled dogs I told you about in the beginning of the episode did not need more comfort, rest, and the couch. What they needed was a sled. They needed some resistance. They were built for it. They needed purpose, they needed work, and guess what, my friend? So do you, and I do too. Maybe you feel restless, maybe you feel unfulfilled, or maybe you've been lacking some direction in your life right now. Let me just tell you don't run from purpose. Just put your hands to the plow. Because the answer is not going to be found in less responsibility and running away from everything. It's going to be stepping into the work that God's designed for you and then letting it stretch and shape you. So go to work, get involved in your church, serve your home, love our community, get after it, do something meaningful, and do it with purpose for the glory of God. When you work with God's glory in mind as a Christian, I think you will find something that the world is desperately chasing. Oh, they want to find it so badly, and they never, never do. It's fulfillment. And for the Christian, it's always right there. Because God, in the beginning, before the fall, designed work and he still gave it to us as a gift. And so for all the challenges and sin that it can cause and bring, remember, God will redeem it. Well, I hope this episode has spurred you on. We've got a little more coming in this series, and I can't wait to dig in with you next time. I want to talk about work as worship and really give you a theology for that. And so thanks for watching. Thanks for supporting and thanks for praying. We're so grateful that we get to do this with you. And this year we've been asking God to transform hearts through for the gospel's resources, and so many testimonies are pouring in. And so, if that's you and this ministry has changed your life, uh let us know in the comments on YouTube or on social media. Shoot us a DM, send us an email. We love to hear your stories. We actually include some of those in our impact reports, and we love joining you in testifying about what God has been doing. If you're one of our gospel patrons or those who give throughout the year to the ministry, I want you to hear it from me personally. Thank you. Our team is grateful. Those dollars are going right back into the ministry to produce free resources that are changing lives. And so thank you for the role that you play in that each and every week, each and every month. We love you, and I'm grateful for more ministry information or to partner with us, or just resources that you want to use and grow from for thegospel.org. All the information is there. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.