00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on episode 607 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Heather hymen from sweet tea social marketing. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to reach others is key and one way to be inspired to do just that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mader. That's what changes in your mindset when you begin to recognize the fact that the thing that we're really called to do is to do everything,
00:00:55 even the things we hate doing and we do it to take care of the people around us, especially the people that are most vulnerable. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling and the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your influence. So that you can impact the world and today's spiritual foundation episode about developing your influence.
00:01:43 I talk with you about Collosians chapter three verses 23 through 24 striving for excellence versus striving for approval and how this plays out differently in our mindset closures.
00:01:59 Chapter three verses 23 through 24 says, whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men.
00:02:08 Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
00:02:16 You know, this is one of those passages that I really love, but it's also one of those that I think sometimes is challenging for Christians.
00:02:29 You know the interesting thing is it says whatever you do, work heartily. Hardy means, you know,
00:02:36 with great heart, with great feeling, with passion and do it as for the Lord and not for men.
00:02:44 That's the part I think that becomes difficult for us. You know, oftentimes we talk about going on towards perfection,
00:02:53 that that's a phrase that we use within the Methodist church where I was raised and I'm currently a member.
00:02:59 And it's one of those phrases that I think we can confuse because we talk about striving for perfection. But I,
00:03:07 you know, I also talk about how it's about progress not perfect, and this idea of pushing forward for spiritual perfection,
00:03:17 for excellence in everything we do, but doing it as for the Lord and not for men. See,
00:03:25 that's what gets confusing sometimes because it's really easy to confuse striving for excellence with striving for approval. Are you doing the things that you do because you hope and expect that others around you will give you approval,
00:03:44 that they'll apply. They'll somehow give you satisfaction and give you an approval for what you're doing, give you some sort of reward or payback or accolades so that you feel that the people around you like you and approve of you.
00:04:01 Or are you striving for excellence because it's something that the Lord asks you to do because you're doing the things that you're doing,
00:04:12 not just what you're called to do, not just what you want to do, but every thing that you touch,
00:04:18 everything that you do, you're doing it to the glory of God. You're doing it hoping that you're doing one little piece towards bringing about the kingdom of heaven on earth as it is in heaven.
00:04:34 Another words, we're trying to make the burnt world just that much of a better place. We're trying to serve others and not our sir self.
00:04:43 We're doing this not out of a sense because we want others to approve of us are like us. In fact,
00:04:49 sometimes what we're called to do is something that isn't liked. It isn't approved of. We stand up for somebody that is being mistreated.
00:04:57 We speak out against injustice. Even if that injustice is being done by the powerful with approval of the masses,
00:05:07 we do this not because it's the easy thing, but because it's the right thing. That's what changes in your mindset when you begin to recognize the fact that the thing that we're really called to do is to do everything.
00:05:24 Even the things we hate doing and we do it to take care of the people around us, especially the people that are most vulnerable.
00:05:35 You know, as we're walking through and working together through this pandemic and trying to figure our way out of it,
00:05:43 I see post after post on every side, you know, saying that it's tyranny to ask people to stay at home saying that it is our right to go out and live and do what we want to do,
00:05:58 even if that causes the death of others. I also see people that are hopelessly believing that everything about the pandemic,
00:06:08 this is the end of the world as we know it. You see people on both the right and the left speaking passionately about their viewpoint and representing their view as the one and only truth,
00:06:24 but the truth is I think that the situation is much more complex and nuanced. Am I worried about the economy?
00:06:32 Absolutely. Am I worried about vulnerable people being put into harm's way because of my actions or the actions of others?
00:06:40 Absolutely. Am I worried about this pandemic spreading and changing the world as we know it in a way that is irreversible?
00:06:49 Absolutely. Am I worried about the government putting into place things without going through due process and taking advantage or harming our rights for security?
00:07:01 Absolutely. All of these things are possible to hold in your head at one time, but instead what people tend to seem to be doing is putting forward one view and listening little to none to any other,
00:07:19 but the truth is when you recognize that what we are doing is doing it unto the Lord, you recognize that you have to take on the complexity of the issue and that means there isn't an easy solution and odds are good that the truth is not a simple one sided view.
00:07:41 The truth is nuanced and complex. This is part of what I hear in these passages from the Bible today because the truth is the verses speak to me when times are good and they speak to me when times are bad and often the messages I hear are there for me in the moment that I'm living at that time.
00:08:07 So spend some time today thinking, how can you do whatever you are doing, whether it's work that you're getting paid for,
00:08:15 whether you've lost your job, whether what you're doing is just sitting at home? How can you do it in a way that brings about the kingdom of heaven just a little bit more today than it was yesterday,
00:08:28 not just for you, but for those that need your help, those that are most vulnerable and those that without your help would be harmed further,
00:08:40 thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast. As a subscriber and listener,
00:08:52 we challenge you to not just back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling.
00:09:03 If you enjoyed this episode, do me a favor. Go over to facebook.com/inspired stewardship like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there.
00:09:29 Until next time, invest your time, your talent, and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.