Key points
- 1
1The book of Proverbs contrasts diligence and laziness, showing that consistent, faithful effort leads to satisfaction while sluggishness leaves desire unfulfilled.
“God invites us into a relationship and a partnership”
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2Work was part of God's original blessing, not the curse — God placed humanity in the garden to work and care for creation before sin ever entered the world.
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3God invites us to partner with Him by entrusting each person with gifts according to their ability, and He calls us to put those gifts to work rather than bury them.
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4As followers of Jesus we are to work at everything with all our heart, as though working for the Lord Himself rather than for human bosses or a paycheck.
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5Be diligent — identify your God-given passion and pursue excellence in it for God's glory and the good of others.
“Whatever you do, whatever you do, when you love it, when you hate it, when you don't wanna do it, when you're having a great time at it, whatever you do, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart”
Illustration
Jim Collins's 'hedgehog principle' from Good to Great — three questions about passion, excellence, and economic engine applied to purposeful work
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6Be resilient — when the work gets hard, keep showing up; the servant who buried his talent out of fear ended up doing nothing right by trying to avoid doing something wrong.
“in his fear of failure, not wanting to get it wrong, he actually ends up doing nothing right”
A story from life
Carlos, a Houston pastor of 12 years, shares excitement about discipling three men in an under-resourced community
A story from life
Four Nicaraguan pastors in Chichigalpa ask only to be encouraged as they pour their lives into their communities
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7We tend to overestimate what God wants to do through us in a year but underestimate what He can do through a lifetime of faithful, diligent partnership with Him.
“No longer do I honestly pray, God, use me to change the world. I simply pray, God, would you use me to make a difference? And I have found that that prayer is answered almost on a daily basis if I'm willing to walk in it”
“you way overestimate what God wants to do through you in a year, but you underestimate what He can do through you in a lifetime if you stay at it”
“he invites us to partner with him. And he expands his kingdom through people, through you”
A story from life
The preacher recalls attending Rock Point around 2006–2007 at Higley High School with roughly 100 people and hearing Pastor Bill Bush challenge the congregation to serve and give
Application
Pastor Scott's call to action is direct and personal: accept God's invitation to partner with Him in the work He has given you. That starts with asking what you are most passionate about, then pursuing it with diligence — bringing your whole heart to your work as though you are doing it for Jesus Himself (Colossians 3:23). When the work gets hard, be resilient and keep showing up, trusting God with results you may not see for years. Whether you are a teacher shaping students, a pastor discipling three people after twelve years, or simply someone showing up faithfully to a difficult job, the scope of the impact matters far less than the faithfulness of the effort. Pray not 'God, use me to change the world,' but 'God, would you use me to make a difference today?' — and then walk in it.
