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>> Welcome to Sabbath School
brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
could join us again this week
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as we are looking at
lesson number eight now.
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This is "Planning For Success."
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What does the
Bible say about success?
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What does it look like,
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and how does that intersect
with your financial life?
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We're about to find that out.
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With us again this week
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is the author of this
Sabbath School lesson, Ed Reid.
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He is an ordained minister
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and he is also a
licensed attorney.
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We're delighted
to have him back,
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and of course, we're delighted
to have you once again.
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Before we dive into
today's lesson, let's pray.
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Father, thank you for
blessing us so far in our study,
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and we anticipate that
you will bless us again today.
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As we look at what a biblical
definition for success is,
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help us to yearn
for that success,
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not for our
glory, but for yours.
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And we thank you in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Ed, welcome back.
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We're glad to have you again.
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>> Thank you.
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It's a pleasure to be with you.
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>> So we're taking a look
here at lesson number eight,
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"Planning For Success."
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I'll read the memory text, and
I'm gonna ask you a question.
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The memory text is found
in Colossians 3:23 and 24,
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and it says, "In
whatever you do, do it heartily,
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as to the Lord and not to men,
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knowing that from the Lord
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you will receive the
reward of the inheritance;
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for you serve the Lord Christ."
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So we're talking about success.
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What does success
look like for a Christian,
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and is it different than
success might look in the world?
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>> Well, it's interesting
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that from a purely
worldly perspective,
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we think that people that
are wealthy are successful
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or people that are famous,
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sports stars, movie
stars, that kind of thing.
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But if you look at
from God's perspective,
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it's quite different.
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In fact, the angel
Gabriel who came to Zechariah
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when he was in the temple,
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telling him that he'd be
the father of John the Baptist,
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he said, "He will be
great in the sight of the Lord."
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So greatness in God's eyes
is what we really strive for.
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It's pretty interesting
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because there are several
cases of success in the Bible.
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One of them is
very interesting to me,
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and that is, when we
say Joseph was successful,
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he went from the prison to
the palace in his lifetime,
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and he was honored to have
his family come down and so on.
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That would be a
successful life, as likely.
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But what would we say
about John the Baptist?
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This is interesting.
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We've been reading in John for
our worship this week at home
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and I can just tell you
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that John the Baptist
was an interesting character.
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A lot of people
don't realize this,
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but when you look at
the chronology of his life,
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his public ministry
was only three months long,
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and he spent three months in
solitary confinement in prison,
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then he lost his head.
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But the interesting
part about it, Jesus said,
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"There's no man ever
born of a woman greater
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than this John the Baptist guy."
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So from God's perspective,
he also was successful.
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>> So two very
different views of success,
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one of which most of the
world would probably say,
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yeah, Joseph was successful,
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but John the Baptist, a
lot of people would say,
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seems like kind
of a misspent life.
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But Jesus would
disagree with that very much.
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>> Yes.
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>> So all right,
that's what success looks like
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from a biblical perspective.
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It can have different views,
or it can look differently.
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But what about how do we
begin our quest for success?
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Where do we start if we
want to end up successful?
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Where does success begin?
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Where does it germinate?
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What does it look like
when it's just beginning?
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>> Well, one of your
long-range goals should be,
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or your primary long-range goal
should be getting to heaven.
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So I tell people, for example,
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I talk to young people about it.
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You may never write a book.
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You may never fly an airplane.
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You may never
climb a high mountain.
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You never never hike
the Appalachian Trail
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from one end to the other.
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You may never go on
vacation in some exotic place.
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But if you make it to
heaven, your life is a success,
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and there's no question
about that, in my opinion.
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On the other hand,
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you might be famous
from the world's standards.
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You may be a renowned author,
you may pilot your own plane,
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go to exotic places
on vacation, and so on,
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but if you miss
heaven, your life is a failure.
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There's no question about
that from God's perspective
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and from my perspective
as a student of God's Word.
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>> So that's gonna
look significantly different
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for different people
depending on their view of life,
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their worldview, I guess.
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>> Yes.
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>> But ultimately if
you miss out on eternity,
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it doesn't matter what
else you've accomplished,
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how much you have
in your bank account,
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how big your house
is, how nice your car is,
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what job you have, or how
influential you are in the
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world. If you miss heaven, it's
kind of been a misspent life.
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>> That's true.
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In fact, I've put a
couple of references
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from the Bible here.
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Proverbs is a book of
wisdom, as we understand.
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Verse 10.
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"The fear of the
Lord," or trusting in God.
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"The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom,
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and the knowledge of the
Holy One is understanding."
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So basic to success is
commitment to God, that's for
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sure. Another one,
Ecclesiastes 12, verse one.
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"Remember now your Creator
in the days of your youth."
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In other words, don't
wait 'til you're an old guy
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to make your commitment to God,
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because if you want
God to bless your family,
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you want to do it early on,
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and that's an
important thing as well.
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>> So what about as a person
matures from youth to adulthood,
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one would expect that
their views on things,
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certainly their
income is going to change.
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What things
should stay the same?
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What part of their perspective
should stay the same,
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and where would things change
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as when matures
in age and so forth?
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>> Well, that's a good question,
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because I can
just tell you this one.
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I mentioned before,
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and will later in
the quarter talk about
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Jacob when he had to
flee from his brother's wrath.
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The interesting part about it,
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he's a young man,
maybe 40 years old,
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but he hadn't married yet,
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and he was running away from
his brother to save his life.
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When he had the
encounter with Jesus
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in the place he later
called Bethel, the house of God,
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where the ladder was on the
earth and reached to heaven,
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the staircase and so on.
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God stood above it and
talked to him and so on.
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As a young man, he said,
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"If you'll be with me like
you promised you have been.
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In other words,
since you've said that,
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you're gonna be my God,
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and of all you give me, I will
surely give a tenth to you."
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So as a young man, he
first made his commitment to God
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and he made his commitment
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to be
financially faithful as well.
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And I think that's
very, very valuable
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for young people to know.
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I can tell you another thing,
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is the Bible talks to us about
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do not be unequally yoked
together with unbelievers.
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So unless you want a home
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where the
shadows are never lifted,
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don't marry an unbeliever.
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This is important to understand,
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and I can also tell
you that it's interesting,
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this principle is so important,
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that your future
spouse has the opportunity
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and should know for
sure what they're marrying.
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Are they marrying a
committed Christian?
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Are they marrying somebody
who's faithful with God?
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Another thing is I
tell people, young people,
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when they're talking
about getting married,
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they should find out
from the other person
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if they have any student loans.
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I mean, this is a big deal.
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Some people have thousands and
thousands of dollars of loans
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or what they own, on
their cars and other things.
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It's not that you
wouldn't marry the person,
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but you go in
with your eyes open.
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This is pretty interesting
stuff for the young people.
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So after Jacob made his
financial commitment to God,
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the Lord directed him
to his spouse, to Rachel.
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Now, this is an
incredible story.
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The story of Rachel, to me,
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is one of the most
amazing stories in the Bible.
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It was an amazing story because
he fell in love with her,
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and he told her father Laban.
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He said, "What can I
pay you for working for me?"
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And he says, "I'll
work for you for seven years
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for your daughter Rachel."
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This is an incredible thing.
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And we remember that Laban
tricked him, giving Leah first,
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but Rachel was
always his favorite wife
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and his loved
person, if you please.
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And when she died,
they were almost back home,
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and she died along the way in
giving childbirth to Benjamin,
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as you may recall.
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But the amazing thing to me,
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is way over in the
last part of Genesis,
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chapters 49 and 50,
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Jacob called his son Joseph
to his bedside to talk to him,
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and he said,
looking back on his life,
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and the only
thing he remembered,
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"I buried Rachel by the way.
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We were almost there."
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But that's the only thing
he remembered, was Rachel,
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incredible as it may seem.
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>> So it sounds like he made
a wise choice in who to marry
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and she was an encouragement
to him along the way.
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>> Sure.
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>> We're talking about
success, success in finances,
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success in
marriage, success in life.
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What about work?
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What role does work play
on our pathway to success?
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>> Well, it's very interesting
that the Bible is very clear
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from the
creation of Adam and Eve,
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including the work they were
given to do to keep the garden.
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And also the Bible is very
clear that Sodom and Gomorrah
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were in the
condition they were in
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'cause people had
idleness on their hands,
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and they had
lots of money as well.
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But idle mind is the
devil's workshop, as we know.
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So work is very, very important,
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and I can just tell you
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that as youth
matures into adulthood,
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our thoughts should turn
about how we can be successful
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in our life on this earth
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and prepare
ourselves and our children
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for the kingdom of heaven.
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I saw also, I
would just tell you
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that work can be a blessing.
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It was given to
men to be a blessing,
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and it is a blessing when
conducted in the fear of the
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Lord, and as our memory verse
talked about, work is unto the
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Lord. >> So work was never
designed to be a punishment for
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us, but a place
where we can be productive,
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an avenue for us not to be idle
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and to get caught
up in other things.
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There are some people today
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who look for
opportunities not to work.
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I guess you could fall
into either side of the ditch.
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You could either
fall into the side
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where you don't
wanna work at all
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and just wanna have
everything given to you,
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or you can be a workaholic.
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Where would the
the balance be in that?
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>> That's also a good question.
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In the years
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that I've been speaking
at camp meetings and so on,
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I've had lots of people
come to their counseling,
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and I've had more
than one time, I ask a man,
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"What kind of work
are you involved in?"
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And he would say, "Well, I'm
not working steady right now.
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I'm kind of between jobs,"
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and the idea is how can
you expect God to bless you
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if you're not working?
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I think that there's only a
few jobs that you couldn't do,
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you know,
bartending or go-go dancing
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or something like that,
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but in general, work is valuable
and work is good for you.
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Both of our
children learned to work
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when they were in high school,
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and it's interesting that
they thanked us in later years
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that we encouraged them to work,
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because they feel responsible
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for what they've
done in their lives.
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They've been able to
help themselves through school
00:10:44.17\00:10:46.04
and that kind of thing as well.
00:10:46.04\00:10:47.54
>> So you develop a work
ethic, you develop a habit.
00:10:47.54\00:10:51.51
It helps you to be to learn
to be reliable to other people,
00:10:51.51\00:10:55.95
accountability, and
ultimately it also helps you
00:10:55.95\00:11:00.06
to learn the value of a dollar,
00:11:00.06\00:11:01.66
all of which I think
are very, very good things.
00:11:01.66\00:11:04.69
Especially if as
you progress in life,
00:11:04.69\00:11:06.76
you end up owning a business
00:11:06.76\00:11:08.26
or having other
people work for you,
00:11:08.26\00:11:10.33
it's nice to be able
to have an understanding
00:11:10.33\00:11:12.83
of what it's like to be
on the other side of things.
00:11:12.83\00:11:15.07
So all kinds of
blessings when it comes to work.
00:11:15.07\00:11:19.54
We're gonna continue
taking a look at this,
00:11:19.54\00:11:21.71
the planning for success,
00:11:21.71\00:11:23.51
and I think everybody
wants to be successful
00:11:23.51\00:11:25.65
in different
areas of their lives,
00:11:25.65\00:11:28.22
and we're
looking at several ways
00:11:28.22\00:11:29.72
in which that
can happen right now.
00:11:29.72\00:11:31.99
But one thing that I
want to encourage you to do,
00:11:31.99\00:11:33.76
if you haven't done so already,
00:11:33.76\00:11:35.26
we're a little over
halfway through this quarter,
00:11:35.26\00:11:38.23
and if you haven't
picked this book up,
00:11:38.23\00:11:39.83
you are missing out
00:11:39.83\00:11:41.16
on some wonderful supplemental,
additional material
00:11:41.16\00:11:45.37
that can help you
to be more successful.
00:11:45.37\00:11:47.90
The book of course is called
"Managing for the Master."
00:11:47.90\00:11:51.21
The author, as you well
know, is G. Edward Reid.
00:11:51.21\00:11:54.54
He's with us today and
has been through this quarter
00:11:54.54\00:11:57.65
and will through the remainder,
00:11:57.65\00:11:59.21
and in this book, you will
find some additional insights
00:11:59.21\00:12:01.35
on how you can be successful
00:12:01.35\00:12:03.05
in managing the gifts
that God has given you
00:12:03.05\00:12:06.69
for his honor and for his glory.
00:12:06.69\00:12:08.69
If you wanna pick up
this supplemental book,
00:12:08.69\00:12:11.06
the compliment to
the Bible study guide,
00:12:11.06\00:12:13.83
you can do that
very, very easily.
00:12:13.83\00:12:15.73
Simply go to itiswritten.shop.
00:12:15.73\00:12:18.67
Again, that is itiswritten.shop
00:12:18.67\00:12:21.00
and look for
"Managing For the Master."
00:12:21.00\00:12:24.34
And in the event that
we're temporarily sold out,
00:12:24.34\00:12:27.18
we will get restocked
again very, very shortly.
00:12:27.18\00:12:30.35
But this book will
be a blessing to you,
00:12:30.35\00:12:32.18
and if you want to
give a book to someone
00:12:32.18\00:12:35.58
who you want to
encourage financially
00:12:35.58\00:12:37.79
in the right direction,
00:12:37.79\00:12:39.05
this book makes a
wonderful, wonderful gift.
00:12:39.05\00:12:42.62
So "Managing for the
Master" by G Edward Reid,
00:12:42.62\00:12:45.69
and that's
available at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:45.69\00:12:49.66
In just a moment,
we're gonna come back,
00:12:49.66\00:12:51.17
and we're going to continue
our look at how to be successful
00:12:51.17\00:12:55.10
from a biblical perspective.
00:12:55.10\00:12:57.21
We're going through some
practical tips, practical
00:12:57.21\00:13:00.34
tricks, if we can use that,
00:13:00.34\00:13:01.51
that you can apply to your life
00:13:01.51\00:13:03.11
and encourage
others to do the same.
00:13:03.11\00:13:04.85
We will be right back.
00:13:04.85\00:13:06.51
(bright music)
00:13:06.51\00:13:09.15
>> He was chosen by God
to Father a great nation,
00:13:10.52\00:13:13.59
but instead of trusting
God to fulfill his promise,
00:13:13.59\00:13:16.96
he chose to run
ahead of God's plan,
00:13:16.96\00:13:19.53
using lies and
deception to secure the blessing
00:13:19.53\00:13:22.30
that God had
already said would be his.
00:13:22.30\00:13:25.53
Join me for another
episode of our series
00:13:25.53\00:13:28.10
"Great Characters of the Bible"
00:13:28.10\00:13:30.21
as we examine
the story of Jacob.
00:13:30.21\00:13:33.04
Before becoming the progenitor
of the nation of Israel,
00:13:33.04\00:13:36.31
Jacob conspired with his mother
00:13:36.31\00:13:38.21
to deceive his
brother and his father,
00:13:38.21\00:13:40.75
and in doing so,
00:13:40.75\00:13:42.05
he set himself on a path
filled with hardship and pain.
00:13:42.05\00:13:46.45
Yet even at his lowest,
Jacob refused to let go of God,
00:13:46.45\00:13:50.06
and God never let go of Jacob.
00:13:50.06\00:13:52.93
Learn how Jacob's experience
is relevant to your life
00:13:52.93\00:13:56.90
and how the same
God who blessed Jacob
00:13:56.90\00:13:59.07
wants to bless you today.
00:13:59.07\00:14:00.84
"Great Characters
of the Bible: Jacob."
00:14:00.84\00:14:04.21
Watch now on itiswritten.tv.
00:14:04.21\00:14:07.24
(lively music)
00:14:10.01\00:14:11.31
>> Announcer: This
season on "Conversations."
00:14:11.31\00:14:14.15
>> Many times, I
think I know what God wants
00:14:14.15\00:14:17.42
or doesn't want me to do,
00:14:17.42\00:14:18.85
and many times,
it's the opposite.
00:14:18.85\00:14:21.59
>> I was
looking next to the car,
00:14:21.59\00:14:24.19
and there's this
family with a little ugly car,
00:14:24.19\00:14:26.93
you know, I would never have.
00:14:26.93\00:14:28.66
But I saw the family.
00:14:28.66\00:14:29.76
They're so happy
they're laughing and giggling.
00:14:29.76\00:14:32.10
I say, "Lord,
this is what I want."
00:14:32.10\00:14:34.97
>> Jesus just had
this warm, loving feeling
00:14:34.97\00:14:38.31
that I just couldn't describe,
00:14:38.31\00:14:39.67
and I wanted it more
than anything in this world,
00:14:39.67\00:14:42.18
and I knew he was the answer.
00:14:42.18\00:14:44.05
I don't know how I knew, I
just knew he was the answer.
00:14:44.05\00:14:48.22
>> Amen, amen.
00:14:48.22\00:14:49.52
She is Gail Habikam.
00:14:49.52\00:14:50.85
His name is Dr. George Guthrie.
00:14:50.85\00:14:53.09
She once was a
practitioner of Santeria.
00:14:53.09\00:14:56.86
I'm John Bradshaw, and
this is our conversation.
00:14:56.86\00:15:00.63
(gentle music)
00:15:00.63\00:15:01.83
>> Announcer: Now
available on itiswritten.tv.
00:15:01.83\00:15:05.97
(gentle music)
00:15:05.97\00:15:08.64
(bright music)
00:15:10.01\00:15:12.67
>> Welcome back
to Sabbath School
00:15:14.74\00:15:16.04
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:16.04\00:15:17.68
We're looking at how to
be successful financially
00:15:17.68\00:15:20.32
and ultimately in life
during this week's lesson.
00:15:20.32\00:15:24.55
Tuesday's lesson is
called "The Earning Years."
00:15:24.55\00:15:27.62
"The Earning Years."
00:15:27.62\00:15:29.19
Ed, how important is our work
00:15:29.19\00:15:31.49
in the
stability of our families?
00:15:31.49\00:15:34.10
>> Well, it's interesting,
00:15:34.10\00:15:34.86
and this earning years thing
00:15:34.86\00:15:36.20
is the second
phase of our lives.
00:15:36.20\00:15:37.83
We have three phases, actually,
00:15:37.83\00:15:39.50
our learning
years, our earning years,
00:15:39.50\00:15:42.00
and our returning years,
00:15:42.00\00:15:43.71
'cause we can't
take it with you.
00:15:43.71\00:15:45.24
So, we've talked about
00:15:45.24\00:15:47.11
and will talk about in
more detail in the future,
00:15:47.11\00:15:50.01
giving back to God how
that fits in and so on.
00:15:50.01\00:15:53.01
But a lot of people wanna
skip that learning years part.
00:15:53.01\00:15:57.19
I don't like
school, or whatever.
00:15:57.19\00:15:58.99
The bottom line is God
can use anybody who's willing,
00:15:58.99\00:16:01.66
but those who have
had advanced training
00:16:01.66\00:16:03.66
can be much benefited from it.
00:16:03.66\00:16:05.56
It's really incredible
when you think about it.
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.20
In general,
getting a college degree
00:16:08.20\00:16:11.83
will make sure that you
get probably twice as much
00:16:11.83\00:16:14.40
in your lifetime earning
00:16:14.40\00:16:15.77
as you would if you just
only went to high school.
00:16:15.77\00:16:18.44
So make sure you get
counsel as far as what to study.
00:16:18.44\00:16:22.51
Make sure there's a
job available for you
00:16:22.51\00:16:24.18
at the end of the time.
00:16:24.18\00:16:25.55
You don't wanna just
take oriental basket weaving
00:16:25.55\00:16:26.82
and nobody has a job for you.
00:16:26.82\00:16:28.72
You wanna get
something in the medical field
00:16:28.72\00:16:30.72
or in the construction
industry or computers.
00:16:30.72\00:16:34.22
Whatever it is,
00:16:34.22\00:16:35.32
you'll find out what's
the best thing for you.
00:16:35.32\00:16:37.86
But what we're talking about
this time is the earning years,
00:16:37.86\00:16:42.90
and that is what you do
00:16:43.57\00:16:44.70
for the primary
work years of your life.
00:16:44.70\00:16:46.60
And that is the longest section.
00:16:46.60\00:16:48.24
That's the time when
you're paying for your house
00:16:48.24\00:16:51.21
and your cars and
educating your children.
00:16:51.21\00:16:53.24
And believe it or not,
00:16:53.24\00:16:54.31
this is a stressful
time for many families,
00:16:54.31\00:16:56.24
because if they haven't
gotten the proper education
00:16:56.24\00:16:59.41
of getting a
good income and so on,
00:16:59.41\00:17:00.68
it's very stressful,
00:17:00.68\00:17:01.82
because what do you
mean we don't have any money?
00:17:01.82\00:17:03.72
People argue about
those kind of things,
00:17:03.72\00:17:05.35
and people would
like to buy something
00:17:05.35\00:17:07.52
and then people go out
and buy things on credit
00:17:07.52\00:17:09.16
and run
themselves in debt and so on.
00:17:09.16\00:17:11.49
It's amazing really what happens
00:17:11.49\00:17:13.46
when they're not willing to live
00:17:13.46\00:17:15.43
with what they have
as far as their income.
00:17:15.43\00:17:17.73
But what I wanna
share with you now is that,
00:17:17.73\00:17:19.57
during the earning years,
00:17:19.57\00:17:20.67
which is about 40
years of your life,
00:17:20.67\00:17:22.87
you need to be
thinking about your needs,
00:17:22.87\00:17:24.97
the needs of your children,
00:17:24.97\00:17:26.34
and the needs of those who
depend on you in some ways,
00:17:26.34\00:17:29.28
helping with God's church,
00:17:29.28\00:17:30.81
helping with others
who are poor people,
00:17:30.81\00:17:32.55
poorer than you, for example.
00:17:32.55\00:17:33.88
Setting an example for our
families in this area as well.
00:17:33.88\00:17:37.52
1 Timothy 5:8 is
an interesting one.
00:17:37.52\00:17:40.46
It says, "But if anyone
provide not for his own,
00:17:40.46\00:17:42.72
especially those
of his own family,
00:17:42.72\00:17:44.09
he denied the faith, and
is worse than an infidel."
00:17:44.09\00:17:46.23
It's also true that
Paul's writing says,
00:17:46.23\00:17:48.56
"He that does not
work should not eat."
00:17:48.56\00:17:51.23
Most people like
to eat, don't they?
00:17:51.23\00:17:53.44
So this is
important that that happens.
00:17:53.44\00:17:55.90
"In all labor there is profit."
00:17:55.90\00:17:57.94
"Whatever you do do it
heartily, as unto the Lord."
00:17:57.94\00:18:00.04
We've already looked at.
00:18:00.04\00:18:01.08
That's Colossians
chapter three, verse 23.
00:18:01.08\00:18:03.24
And I like this also
in the King James version,
00:18:03.24\00:18:05.71
where it says,
"Knowing that of the Lord
00:18:05.71\00:18:07.32
ye shall receive
your inheritance."
00:18:07.32\00:18:09.68
When we talk about lesson 12,
00:18:09.68\00:18:11.52
we're talking about the rewards
00:18:11.52\00:18:12.95
of the faithful
financial people,
00:18:12.95\00:18:14.79
and it's gonna be
an incredible thing
00:18:14.79\00:18:16.16
that you'll enjoy seeing
and reading about and hearing.
00:18:16.16\00:18:19.63
So children who come into
the world during the segment
00:18:19.63\00:18:23.80
are called to
heritage of the Lord,
00:18:23.80\00:18:25.60
and we remember that we
bring these children in,
00:18:25.60\00:18:27.37
we owe them a responsibility
00:18:27.37\00:18:29.47
because we wanna train them
to become independent adults,
00:18:29.47\00:18:32.84
of course, not to depend on
us for the rest of their lives.
00:18:32.84\00:18:35.68
So the ideal is I'm gonna
share with you three things
00:18:35.68\00:18:39.28
that I think parents can do
00:18:39.28\00:18:40.28
as far as their
children are concerned.
00:18:40.28\00:18:42.05
The first one is provide a
Christian home environment,
00:18:42.05\00:18:44.29
and that means
this would include
00:18:44.29\00:18:45.52
having regular and
interesting family worships,
00:18:45.52\00:18:48.22
regular Sabbath
school attendance, and church
00:18:48.22\00:18:51.36
attendance. Not, "I
don't feel like going today."
00:18:51.36\00:18:52.96
You see, it is regular.
00:18:52.96\00:18:54.10
This is training children,
00:18:54.10\00:18:55.20
and faithfulness in
tithes and offerings.
00:18:55.20\00:18:57.33
These are great
habits to form in early life.
00:18:57.33\00:18:59.90
So provide a
Christian home environment.
00:18:59.90\00:19:03.20
Second one is to teach
them a willingness to work
00:19:03.20\00:19:06.47
and appreciation for it.
00:19:06.47\00:19:08.34
We started paying our kids
when they were 10 years old,
00:19:08.34\00:19:11.41
and we had jobs
for our children.
00:19:11.41\00:19:13.45
Our son kept up the
yard, and it was a big yard,
00:19:13.45\00:19:16.38
and other things
around the house,
00:19:16.38\00:19:17.99
and we paid them a
weekly paycheck for that.
00:19:17.99\00:19:22.12
And Melissa helped
in doing the laundry.
00:19:22.12\00:19:25.19
If you can imagine,
she got so good at it
00:19:25.19\00:19:27.20
then when she
came home from school
00:19:27.20\00:19:28.66
sometimes she would say,
00:19:28.66\00:19:29.76
"Daddy, is there
any laundry I can do?"
00:19:29.76\00:19:31.60
To me, this is amazing.
00:19:31.60\00:19:33.27
She helped with the cooking,
00:19:33.27\00:19:34.37
making granola, and
all those kind of things.
00:19:34.37\00:19:35.74
So when it came time when
they could work outside the home
00:19:35.74\00:19:37.57
and get what we say real money,
00:19:37.57\00:19:39.67
they were happy to do it.
00:19:39.67\00:19:41.31
So teaching them to work
and have good work habits.
00:19:41.31\00:19:44.51
Someone teased my son who worked
for Taco Bell for a while,
00:19:44.51\00:19:47.48
and he said, "Isn't that
the place that if you show up
00:19:47.48\00:19:49.35
at work three
times in a row on time,
00:19:49.35\00:19:51.25
they wanna make you a manager?"
00:19:51.25\00:19:53.02
The point is being punctual
00:19:53.02\00:19:55.66
and diligent and
faithful and dependable,
00:19:55.66\00:19:58.26
you learn those
things by working,
00:19:58.26\00:20:00.13
and those are good skills
to learn, of course, as well.
00:20:00.13\00:20:03.16
I want to tell you that
the next one, the final one
00:20:03.16\00:20:07.70
is help with a good education.
00:20:07.70\00:20:10.07
Education is
really expensive today,
00:20:10.07\00:20:12.77
and particularly private
school Christian education,
00:20:12.77\00:20:15.51
but to parents who want their
children not to be successful
00:20:15.51\00:20:17.98
only in this life,
00:20:17.98\00:20:19.41
but to be ready
for heaven as well,
00:20:19.41\00:20:22.52
I would say that
Christian education
00:20:22.52\00:20:24.92
is extremely
valuable for this reason.
00:20:24.92\00:20:28.29
If I had not been
in one of our colleges,
00:20:28.29\00:20:30.63
I would've never met my wife,
00:20:30.63\00:20:32.43
and it's during
those years of your life
00:20:32.43\00:20:34.50
when you meet
your life companion
00:20:34.50\00:20:35.83
and your lifetime
friends and so on.
00:20:35.83\00:20:37.67
So maybe it's cheaper in
the local junior college,
00:20:37.67\00:20:39.57
but you're gonna miss out
on this awesome experience,
00:20:39.57\00:20:42.57
so as an investment in eternity
00:20:42.57\00:20:44.07
when you go for
Christian education.
00:20:44.07\00:20:46.44
I know there are bad
apples even in good schools,
00:20:46.44\00:20:48.84
but the bottom line is
00:20:48.84\00:20:50.35
you're more likely to
find a good companion there
00:20:50.35\00:20:53.65
than you would be just
in schools of the world.
00:20:53.65\00:20:56.08
Then you
understand, very important.
00:20:56.08\00:20:58.59
Now, I'm gonna make
one little caveat here.
00:20:58.59\00:21:00.96
When we talked about debt,
00:21:00.96\00:21:02.46
we talked about cosigning
00:21:02.46\00:21:04.13
and not becoming responsible
for other people's debts.
00:21:04.13\00:21:06.90
The only exception that
I can think about to that
00:21:06.90\00:21:10.03
would be helping your
children get through school,
00:21:10.03\00:21:12.00
and if you don't
have the ability,
00:21:12.00\00:21:13.44
they need to
work as best they can,
00:21:13.44\00:21:14.84
you need to
work as best you can,
00:21:14.84\00:21:15.90
but they need to
borrow a little bit.
00:21:15.90\00:21:17.94
That may be one time
when parents could help,
00:21:17.94\00:21:20.48
and the reason I say that
00:21:20.48\00:21:21.81
is because that will help
them become independent adults.
00:21:21.81\00:21:24.28
But there's several
caveats for that, too.
00:21:24.28\00:21:26.51
If they borrow any money,
00:21:26.51\00:21:28.38
they need to pay it
back as quickly as possible.
00:21:28.38\00:21:30.45
In addition to that,
00:21:30.45\00:21:31.82
they need to make sure that
the education they're getting
00:21:31.82\00:21:34.36
will be something that they'll
have a job waiting for them
00:21:34.36\00:21:36.99
when they get done.
00:21:36.99\00:21:38.13
I mean, I knew a
lady that was 70 years old
00:21:38.13\00:21:40.60
and she's still
paying on student loans
00:21:40.60\00:21:42.06
because she decided
to go back to school
00:21:42.06\00:21:43.63
and take something
that nobody needed.
00:21:43.63\00:21:45.93
There was no jobs
available for her,
00:21:45.93\00:21:48.20
but she's gonna have
to pay that, you know,
00:21:48.20\00:21:49.94
even out of her retirement
income, which she was doing.
00:21:49.94\00:21:52.51
So I would would
suggest three things again.
00:21:52.51\00:21:56.31
Christian home
environment, teach them to work,
00:21:56.31\00:21:59.81
and give them a good education.
00:21:59.81\00:22:01.25
Those are the things that
I think we owe our children.
00:22:01.25\00:22:03.32
>> I think three very practical
ideas or pieces of advice
00:22:03.32\00:22:07.96
that we can follow there.
00:22:07.96\00:22:09.36
Thank you for those, Ed.
00:22:09.36\00:22:10.73
Wednesday's lesson is
called "Working With Integrity."
00:22:10.73\00:22:14.10
"Working With Integrity."
00:22:14.10\00:22:15.26
My guess is that a Christian
00:22:15.26\00:22:17.23
should be
expected to have integrity.
00:22:17.23\00:22:20.77
What's the work
ethic like of a Christian?
00:22:20.77\00:22:23.94
>> This is amazing
because the real answer
00:22:23.94\00:22:26.27
is they're
faithful to their duties,
00:22:26.27\00:22:28.88
even if no one is watching,
00:22:28.88\00:22:30.98
and this is incredible,
00:22:30.98\00:22:32.35
because I'm gonna tell
you two stories about that.
00:22:32.35\00:22:34.05
One is the experience of Jacob
00:22:34.05\00:22:36.79
when he desired to
leave his father-in-law.
00:22:36.79\00:22:38.92
Remember after
14 years of working,
00:22:38.92\00:22:40.76
and then he
stayed six more years,
00:22:40.76\00:22:41.86
but when he wanted to go home,
00:22:41.86\00:22:43.49
he says, Laban
told him, "Don't go.
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.76
I've learned by experience
00:22:46.76\00:22:48.00
that when you're
with me, God blesses me."
00:22:48.00\00:22:50.27
Isn't that interesting?
00:22:50.27\00:22:51.53
He blesses you,
so he blesses me.
00:22:51.53\00:22:53.64
And the same thing happened
when Joseph was down in Egypt,
00:22:53.64\00:22:56.17
sold into slavery
to his master Potiphar.
00:22:56.17\00:22:59.11
He made a similar
observation to Joseph's work
00:22:59.11\00:23:01.08
and recorded him accordingly.
00:23:01.08\00:23:02.81
"I've learned that God
has blessed me with you here.
00:23:02.81\00:23:05.05
Here's more responsibility.
00:23:05.05\00:23:06.61
You have everything that I have.
00:23:06.61\00:23:08.12
You just manage it for me."
00:23:08.12\00:23:09.95
Isn't that incredible?
00:23:09.95\00:23:11.49
Because God blesses me
because of your work ethic.
00:23:11.49\00:23:13.99
>> Those are two
very encouraging stories.
00:23:13.99\00:23:17.23
Paul also writes in
1 Corinthians 10:31,
00:23:19.13\00:23:21.76
"Therefore whether you eat
or drink, or whatever you do,
00:23:21.76\00:23:24.67
do all to the glory of God."
00:23:24.67\00:23:26.27
And that, of course,
00:23:26.27\00:23:27.34
is not limited to
what we eat and drink,
00:23:27.34\00:23:29.14
but he says, "In
all that you do."
00:23:29.14\00:23:31.14
Work ethic is in
there as well, isn't it, Ed?
00:23:31.14\00:23:33.24
>> Yes it is.
00:23:33.24\00:23:34.31
>> So let's take a
look at Thursday now,
00:23:34.31\00:23:35.84
seeking godly counsel.
00:23:35.84\00:23:38.65
If a Christian manager,
00:23:38.65\00:23:41.32
God has given us the
opportunity to manage things.
00:23:41.32\00:23:43.59
If a Christian manager
is looking for good counsel,
00:23:43.59\00:23:46.79
where ought they to go,
and where might they avoid?
00:23:46.79\00:23:50.56
>> Well, it's interesting
that you ask that question,
00:23:50.56\00:23:53.13
'cause years ago,
00:23:53.13\00:23:54.40
I took a course
from Larry Briquette
00:23:54.40\00:23:56.10
called "Business by the Book."
00:23:56.10\00:23:58.00
And the bottom line is most
people just work hard enough
00:23:58.00\00:24:00.30
to keep from getting fired,
00:24:00.30\00:24:01.74
and most employers
just pay their people enough
00:24:01.74\00:24:03.64
to keep them from quitting.
00:24:03.64\00:24:05.14
So they're just barely
getting by on both sides.
00:24:05.14\00:24:07.94
And really interesting.
00:24:07.94\00:24:09.24
Should it come
into our mind at all
00:24:09.24\00:24:11.31
the needs of the
people that we hire,
00:24:11.31\00:24:13.31
the needs of the
people that we don't hire.
00:24:13.31\00:24:15.55
I remember hearing a
story one time of a man
00:24:15.55\00:24:18.42
that wasn't doing what
his boss wanted him to do,
00:24:18.42\00:24:21.19
so he called him in and said,
00:24:21.19\00:24:22.26
"What do you
believe your job to be?"
00:24:22.26\00:24:23.36
And he told him what he was
00:24:23.36\00:24:24.43
and he was doing
real good at things.
00:24:24.43\00:24:25.56
He said, "Well,
that's not why I hired you."
00:24:25.56\00:24:27.20
In other words,
00:24:27.20\00:24:28.50
he thought he was doing
what he was supposed to do,
00:24:28.50\00:24:29.73
but he wasn't doing it.
00:24:29.73\00:24:30.63
So you need to make sure
00:24:30.63\00:24:31.63
that everybody
understands the rules
00:24:31.63\00:24:32.70
and what their
job description is
00:24:32.70\00:24:33.80
and those kinds
of things as well.
00:24:33.80\00:24:36.10
But good sources
of Christian counsel.
00:24:36.10\00:24:38.31
I can give you a few of
them that I've jotted down here.
00:24:38.31\00:24:41.81
One is I can recommend
that you get organized.
00:24:41.81\00:24:45.71
Develop a spending
plan or have a budget.
00:24:45.71\00:24:48.25
Many families just exist
from paycheck to paycheck.
00:24:48.25\00:24:50.49
You know, that they
don't know where it goes,
00:24:50.49\00:24:52.29
how much comes in, or
anything like that as well.
00:24:52.29\00:24:54.36
We tell people to
spend less than you earn.
00:24:54.36\00:24:56.56
We've always
talked about determining
00:24:56.56\00:24:57.96
to live within your income.
00:24:57.96\00:25:00.26
Save a portion
from every pay period.
00:25:00.26\00:25:02.56
Even if it's only a little bit,
00:25:02.56\00:25:04.17
save something
from every pay period.
00:25:04.17\00:25:05.57
That's pretty good to know.
00:25:05.57\00:25:06.90
Avoid debt like COVID-19.
00:25:06.90\00:25:09.20
Proverbs, 22, verse seven says
00:25:09.20\00:25:11.11
interest is one
expense you can live without.
00:25:11.11\00:25:13.74
In other words, the borrower
is the slave of the lender.
00:25:13.74\00:25:16.38
and that's always true,
00:25:16.38\00:25:18.35
whether we believe it or not
or whether we see it happening.
00:25:18.35\00:25:21.55
Be a diligent worker.
00:25:21.55\00:25:22.92
"The soul of a lazy man
desires, and has nothing;
00:25:22.92\00:25:25.02
but the soul of the
diligent can be made rich."
00:25:25.02\00:25:28.12
Be financially
faithful with God.
00:25:28.12\00:25:29.86
You can't expect
God to bless your family
00:25:30.99\00:25:32.23
unless you're faithful with him,
00:25:32.23\00:25:33.70
because remember, all
of the promises of God
00:25:33.70\00:25:35.36
are like bilateral contracts.
00:25:35.36\00:25:36.83
He's always doing his part.
00:25:36.83\00:25:38.43
No one's ever
been able to accuse God
00:25:38.43\00:25:39.87
of not holding up
his end of the bargain.
00:25:39.87\00:25:41.64
But if we wanna be faithful,
00:25:41.64\00:25:42.74
we need to make sure
that we're holding up
00:25:42.74\00:25:44.07
our end of the bargain.
00:25:44.07\00:25:44.87
That's where the blessing comes.
00:25:44.87\00:25:47.11
Now, one thing
that's really incredible,
00:25:47.11\00:25:49.44
understand and believe
00:25:49.44\00:25:51.48
that this earth is
not our final home.
00:25:51.48\00:25:53.72
We're just
pilgrims and strangers here.
00:25:53.72\00:25:55.12
Our real home is in heaven.
00:25:55.12\00:25:56.52
We want to be
faithful with God and his Word,
00:25:56.52\00:25:59.85
so that we can
have a home in heaven.
00:25:59.85\00:26:01.39
Not that we're
working legalistically,
00:26:01.39\00:26:03.19
but God says that, "If
you're willing and obedient,
00:26:03.19\00:26:05.03
you'll eat the
good of the land."
00:26:05.03\00:26:06.33
From Isaiah, the first chapter.
00:26:06.33\00:26:08.00
It's interesting to me
to see that many people
00:26:08.00\00:26:10.50
think of this
earth as their home.
00:26:10.50\00:26:12.07
They're saving up stuff here.
00:26:12.07\00:26:13.34
Someday we'll
have to leave it all.
00:26:13.34\00:26:14.90
Some of our stuff
will get burned up here.
00:26:14.90\00:26:16.91
We don't wanna
have much on our hands
00:26:16.91\00:26:19.44
to get burned up, do we?
00:26:19.44\00:26:20.81
>> That's right.
00:26:20.81\00:26:22.18
In the end, we wanna
make sure that we have taken
00:26:22.18\00:26:24.61
what God has entrusted to us
00:26:24.61\00:26:26.45
and used it in the
most effective manner.
00:26:26.45\00:26:29.35
We can't take it with
you, as we've said before.
00:26:29.35\00:26:31.99
Ed, I want to end on this quote
00:26:31.99\00:26:34.06
from the book
"Education" on page 14.
00:26:34.06\00:26:36.93
It says, "No scheme of
business or plan of life
00:26:36.93\00:26:39.66
can be sound or complete
00:26:39.66\00:26:41.23
that embraces only the
brief years of this present life
00:26:41.23\00:26:45.17
and makes no provision
for the unending future.
00:26:45.17\00:26:48.47
No man can lay up
treasure in heaven
00:26:48.47\00:26:51.04
without finding
his life on earth
00:26:51.04\00:26:53.51
thereby enriched and ennobled."
00:26:53.51\00:26:56.51
So if we take our
gaze and lift it heavenward
00:26:56.51\00:27:01.15
rather than earthward,
00:27:01.15\00:27:03.05
or another way of saying it,
00:27:03.05\00:27:05.12
take a vertical look at life
00:27:05.12\00:27:06.76
rather than a
horizontal look at life,
00:27:06.76\00:27:09.19
we will find that in the end,
00:27:09.19\00:27:10.89
we end up in a
much, much better place.
00:27:10.89\00:27:14.83
This week, we've taken a
look at what success looks like
00:27:14.83\00:27:17.47
from a biblical, a
heavenly perspective,
00:27:17.47\00:27:20.80
and it looks a little different
00:27:20.80\00:27:23.14
than it does sometimes
from an earthly perspective.
00:27:23.14\00:27:26.57
If we set our sights on heaven,
00:27:26.57\00:27:28.21
on what God wants for us in life
00:27:28.21\00:27:30.75
and wants for others in life,
00:27:30.75\00:27:32.51
we can find success.
00:27:32.51\00:27:34.32
God doesn't want us
to be poor in this world.
00:27:34.32\00:27:37.39
He wants us to be cared for
and he wants us to have enough
00:27:37.39\00:27:40.26
that we can give
to others as well,
00:27:40.26\00:27:42.52
and this week,
00:27:42.52\00:27:43.86
we've looked at how we
can indeed be successful.
00:27:43.86\00:27:46.76
Thanks for joining
us again this week.
00:27:46.76\00:27:48.10
We look forward to having
you join us again next week
00:27:48.10\00:27:50.83
when we come back together
again for more Sabbath School
00:27:50.83\00:27:53.84
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:53.84\00:27:56.30
(bright music)
00:27:56.30\00:27:58.94
(bright music)
00:28:04.91\00:28:07.58
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00:28:14.06\00:28:16.69
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00:28:23.06\00:28:25.70