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Living With Purpose in Your Work and Service · Voices Of Life

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Welcome to Voices of Life, a ministry of the
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Church for Life, and I'm your host, Pastor David.
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Today we begin week 10 of our 12 -week journey,
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Living with Purpose, a God -Centered Life. And
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this week, we're stepping into a theme that touches
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every day of your life, your work, your service,
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and your calling. Because purpose is not just
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found in the church, purpose is found in the
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way you work. It is the way you serve, the way
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you show up in the world. Whether you're in a
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career, a ministry, a caregiving role, a volunteer
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position, or simply doing the unseen work of
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daily life, your work matters to God. Let's go
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back to the beginning, before sin, before brokenness,
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before the fall. god placed adam in the garden
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and gave him work genesis 2 15 says the lord
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god took the man and put him in the garden of
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eden to work it and to take care of it work was
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not punishment work was purpose work was partnership
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and work was sacred god designed work as a way
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to reflect his image to steward creation to bring
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order and to cultivate beauty work is not just
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a job work is worship there is a difference between
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striving and serving striving is driven by pressure
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serving is driven by purpose when we strive we
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say i have to prove myself Serving says, I'm
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here to bless others. Striving says, it's all
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up to me. Serving says, God is working through
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me. Striving leads to burnout, where serving
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leads to joy. God did not call you to strive
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endlessly. God called you to serve faithfully.
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Let's anchor ourselves in the Word of God. Colossians
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3 .23 says, Whatever you do, work at it with
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your heart, as you're working for the Lord, not
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for human masters. This verse transforms everything.
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It means your work is not just for a paycheck,
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not just for recognition, and not just for survival.
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Your work is the Lord. Your service is for the
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Lord. Your effort, your excellence, your integrity,
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all of it is worship. You don't have to be a
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full -time ministry to live with purpose. You
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don't have to be on stage to serve God. You don't
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have to be in a leadership position to make an
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impact. Folding laundry can be worship. Driving
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to work can be worship. Caring for children can
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be worship. Answering emails can be worship.
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When your heart is surrendered to God, your work
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becomes holy. Take a moment and breathe deeply.
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Now ask yourself, what do I bring to the world?
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What do I offer through my work? What do I carry
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into every space I enter? Is it peace? Is it
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excellence? Am I showing compassion, creativity?
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Is it strength? Now ask the Holy Spirit, Lord,
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how do you want... to use my work for your glory?
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Let that question settle into your spirit. Let
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us pray. Father, thank you for the gift of work
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and service. Thank you for calling us to reflect
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your image through our labor. Teach us to work
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with excellence. Teach us to serve with joy.
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Teach us to live with purpose in every task.
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Help us see our daily responsibilities as sacred
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opportunities to honor you. May our work be worship.
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May our service be witness. May our lives bring
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glory to your name. In Jesus' name, amen. Now
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let's go deeper. We'll talk about the heart behind
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the work, the motives, the attitudes, and the
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spiritual disciplines that shape how we serve.
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God is refining your purpose through your work.
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We're going inward. We're going to talk about
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the heart behind the work. Because purpose is
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not just about what you do. Purpose is about
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why you do it. how you do it, and who you're
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doing it for. Your work is shaped by your heart.
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Two people can do the very same task, but with
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completely different spirits. One works with
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joy. The other works with resentment. One works
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with peace. One works with pressure. One works
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with purpose, and one works with exhaustion.
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The difference is not, well, the difference is
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the heart. God cares about your heart and your
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work. So it's not about you, it's about God.
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It's not about your employer, it's about God.
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It's not about the other person, it's about God.
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Many believers fall into a trap. A subtle trap,
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a spiritual trap. The trap of performance -based
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identity. The belief that says, I am what I produce.
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I am what I accomplish. I am what I achieve.
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I am only valuable when I'm useful. But hear
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me. Your worth is not in your work. Your identity
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is not in your output. Your value is not in your
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productivity. Your identity is in Christ. Your
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worth is in his love, and your value is who he
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created you to be. Work is what you do. It is
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not who you are. Some of you are carrying a heavy
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weight. The weight of expectations. Expectations
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from others, from yourself, from your culture,
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from your past. You feel like you have to prove
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something. You feel like you have to earn approval.
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You have to keep it up. But God never asked you
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to carry that weight. Jesus said, my yoke is
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easy and my burden is light. If the work you're
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doing is crushing you, it's not God's burden.
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It's someone else's. Let us anchor ourselves
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in the word of God. Philippians 2, 3 -7 says,
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do nothing. out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
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Think about that. Do nothing out of selfish ambition
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or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others
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above yourselves. Have the same mindset as Jesus
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Christ. Took the very nature of a servant That
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is what he did This passage is not about weakness.
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It is about strength strength and humility and
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purpose Jesus served not because he had to but
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because love compelled him to that is The heart
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behind true service Serving God is not meant
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to be a burden. Serving God is meant to be a
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joy. Joy that comes from knowing your work has
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eternal meaning. Joy that comes from knowing
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your service touches lives. Knowing that your
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effort is seen by God, even when it is unseen
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by people. Joy is not the absence of effort.
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Joy is the presence of a purpose. Your purpose.
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There will be seasons when work feels heavy.
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When the responsibilities pile up. When the deadlines
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press in. When the expectations feel overwhelming.
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And in those moments you may feel tired. You
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may feel stretched. You may feel empty. But hear
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this. God does not ask you to pour out from an
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empty cup. He invites you to rest, to breathe,
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to slow down, to reconnect with him. Rest is
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not laziness. Rest is obedience. Place your hands
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in your lap, palms up. Take a slow breath in,
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exhale gently. Now imagine the pressure you've
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been carrying. The pressure to succeed, to impress.
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The pressure to be perfect. The pressure to keep
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up. The pressure to do more. Now imagine placing
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that pressure into God's hands. Say quietly,
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Lord, I release the pressure to perform. I choose
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to serve with joy. Let your shoulders relax.
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Let your spirit breathe. Let your heart rest.
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Let us pray. Father, thank you for seeing our
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hearts even more than our work. Thank you for
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loving us, not for what we do, but for who we
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are. Heal the places where pressure has overwhelmed
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us. Heal the places where performance has defined
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us. Heal the places where expectations have weighed
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us down. Teach us to work with humility. Teach
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us to serve with joy. Teach us to live with purpose.
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to flows from your presence, flows, keeps it
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going, keeps us going, keeps everything going.
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In Jesus' name, amen. So now we're going to talk
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about how your work becomes worship and how your
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service becomes witness. Because purpose is not
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just something you understand. Purpose is something
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you live. You have to embody it. Something you
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carry into every environment you enter. Worship
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is not just singing. Worship is not just praying.
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Worship is not just gathering together on a Sunday
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and even listening to this podcast. Worship is
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the posture of your heart. toward God. And when
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your heart is surrounded to Him, your work becomes
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worship. Folding laundry can become worship.
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Driving a truck can become worship. Teaching
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a class can be worship. Leading a team can be
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worship. Serving customers can be worship. is
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not a task. Worship is the heart behind the task.
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Your service is a testimony. People may not read
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scripture, but they read your life. People may
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not listen to sermons, but they listen to your
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attitude. People may not understand theology,
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but they understand kindness. Your service preaches.
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Your integrity preaches. Your compassion preaches.
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Your excellence preaches. You are a living witness
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of God and how you serve him. Some of the most
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powerful work you will ever do will never be
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seen. The prayers you pray when no one is listening.
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The sacrifices you make when no one is watching.
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The kindness you show when no one applauds. The
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faithfulness you give when no one acknowledges
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it. Heaven sees what people overlook. God honors
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what people ignore. The unseen places are often
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the holiest places. Let's anchor ourselves in
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the word of God. Matthew 5, 16 says, Let the
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light shine before others, that they may see
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your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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Your work is light. Your service is light. Your
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kindness is light. Your excellence is light.
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And when people see that light, they see God.
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You don't need a pulpit to preach the gospel.
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You preach in the way you speak, the way you
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respond, the way you treat people. You preach
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in the way you handle your stress. You preach
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in the way you carry yourself when things get
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difficult. You are Christ's representative in
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your workplace, in your home, your community,
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in your service. You may be the only glimpse
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of Jesus someone sees today Excellence does not
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mean perfection excellence is doing your best
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with what God has given you Excellence is honoring
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God with your effort Excellence is showing up
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with integrity with diligence with consistency
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Excellence is worship Excellence is witness.
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And excellence is purpose in motion. Close your
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eyes for a moment. Think about the people you
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will encounter today. A co -worker, a customer,
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a student, a neighbor, a family member, maybe
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a stranger. Now ask yourself, who will see Christ
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in me today? Not through perfection, but through
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kindness, through patience, humility, excellence,
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and compassion. Now whisper, Lord, shine through
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me. Let that prayer settle into your spirit.
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Think about it. Lord, shine through me. Let that
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prayer settle into your spirit. Let us pray.
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Father, thank you for calling us to be your witnesses
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in every place we work and in every place we
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serve. Teach us to work with excellence. Teach
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us to serve with compassion. Teach us to live
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with purpose that reflects your heart. May our
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work be worship. May our service be witnesses.
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May our lives shine your light. In Jesus' name,
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amen. As we look at our final segment today,
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let's talk about living a lifestyle of purpose,
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of purposeful, not purpose, I'm sorry, purposeful
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work and service. Not just in certain seasons,
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not just when you feel inspired, and not just
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when life is easy, but daily, faithfully, joyfully,
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spiritually. Because purpose is not an event,
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purpose is a rhythm. Purpose is not something
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you visit. Purpose is something you live. You
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carry it with you into every room, every task,
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every conversation, every assignment. It is not
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limited to your job title. Purpose is not limited
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to your ministry role. Purpose is not limited
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to a season of your life. Purpose is who you
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are in Christ. And when you understand your work
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and your service, it becomes expressions of your
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identity. Your calling does have seasons There
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are seasons of building learning serving leading
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resting seasons of transition and Each season
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is holy Some seasons feel productive some seasons
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feel hidden some seasons feel confusing Some
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seasons feel stretching But every season is shaping
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you for the next assignment. God has prepared
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your calling is not a straight line. Your calling
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is a journey. We always say a journey of life.
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Jesus said, whoever is faithful with little will
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be faithful with much. Think about that. Whoever
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is faithful with little will be faithful with
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much. Faithfulness is not measured on the size
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of the task. Faithfulness is measured by the
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posture of your heart. God promotes faithfulness.
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He honors faithfulness. He rewards faithfulness.
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You don't need a bigger platform to live with
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purpose. You need a faithful heart. Let us anchor
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ourselves in the Word of God. 2 Timothy 4, 7
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says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished
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the race. I have kept the faith. This is the
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testimony of a life lived with purpose, not a
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life without struggle. a life not a life without
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obstacles and not a life without hardships but
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a life with faithfulness a life with obedience
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and service a life that honored god to the very
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end there will be moments when god shifts your
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assignment moments when he closes one door and
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opens another moments when he calls you to step
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out of the familiar and into the unknown. And
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in those moments, your service is not over. Your
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purpose is not paused and your calling is not
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canceled. It's simply being redirected. God is
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not just the God of beginnings. He is the God
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of transition. Your work leaves a legacy. Your
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service leaves that legacy. And your faithfulness
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leaves the legacy. People may forget your job
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title but they will remember your kindness. People
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may forget your accomplishments but they will
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remember your integrity. People may forget your
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tasks but they will remember your heart. Legacy
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is not what you build with your hands. Legacy
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is what you build with your life. Place your
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hands over your heart. Take a slow breath in
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and exhale very gently. Now imagine your work,
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your responsibilities, your service, your daily
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tasks. Imagine placing them in God's hands. Now
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whisper, Lord, my work is my offering. My service
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is my worship. My life is yours. Let that truth
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settle deeply into your spirit. Let us pray.
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Father, thank you for calling us to live with
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purpose in our work and in our service. Thank
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you for shaping us through every season, every
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assignment, every responsibility. Teach us to
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work with excellence. Teach us to serve with
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humility. Teach us to live with faithfulness.
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May our work be worship. May our service be witness.
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May our lives bring glory to your name. In Jesus'
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name, amen. This concludes week 10 of our 12
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-week journey. Living for purpose, a God -centered
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life. You have taken a powerful step this week,
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a step towards seeing your work as sacred, a
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step towards serving others with joy, a step
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toward living with deeper purpose in every part
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of your life. Thank you for joining me today
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on Voices of Life, a ministry of the Church for
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Life. I'm Pastor David. And we'll see you in
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our next segment, which will be a special St.
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Paddy's Day. We always love St. Patrick podcast,
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which will be a special podcast. And next week,
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week 11, Living with Purpose in Your Legacy.