What’s your dream job?

Years ago, I remember I would have said I wanted to own a tall ship, run it as a school. It would be the perfect balance of work and leisure. Sail the world in a majestic ship, introduce others to the world, education and the art of sailing. Hard work, but with meaning. Of course, tall ships aren’t cheap, so that’s a dream job I won’t see anytime soon!

Work is a complicated thing. Some people dream of never working again. Others dream of a certain kind of work.

Listen in on the GO train conversations, you’ll hear lots of complaining. But when asked in a scientific survey, 76% of all Canadian workers are either ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ at work. We seem to have this love hate relationship with work. We’re not quite sure what to make of it.

Here’s a test: If you suddenly inherited enough money to retire, would you? Or would you take on your dream job? A lot of us would – lottery winners are often saying they’ll keep working, they’ll just change their attitude about work.

That’s our question to discuss today: If you suddenly inherited enough money to retire, would you stop working, or work differently?

 

Acknowledgements: Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavour and Work & Rest

Ryan Sim - February 5, 2014

Wednesday - Change It - Reset: Money

This week we’re trying to see the difference between a follower of Jesus, and someone else, in terms of how we see and use money. Maybe you’ve seen a video going around the Internet with Kevin O’Leary, of Dragon’s Den, saying it’s just fantastic that the richest 85 people in the world have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest. He says it’s fantastic because it will inspire the poor to get rich themselves. We’ve attached it if you’d like to watch. The Bible thinks quite differently about the relationship between rich and poor, in the passage that immediately follows what we read yesterday: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV) Paul uses the same language Jesus is known for using – he refers to storing up treasure in heaven. When we are generous, sharing with those in need, we are actually doing something of real value and eternal value that Paul calls a good foundation for the future. That is truly life. When others hoard, they are missing the point. They are living a false life with limited value and longevity. Finding that balance is of course always hard. How much is enough to gain, save, and give? Yesterday’s reading set a low bar: But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. I have always liked a sermon preached by John Wesley centuries ago on the topic of money, that could be summed up as: Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can. In isolation, each part would bring destruction, but together they make sense. You have to make money to be generous, but if you pursue making too much, you will crash or lose faith. You also have to save money to give money – wisely spending to have some left over, and by having stability in order to help others. Question: How else do you think a follower of Jesus looks at money differently from someone else? How does gaining/saving/giving all you can impact retirement, debt, etc. Why?

From Series: Reset | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

More Messages Associated With "Money"...

Powered by Series Engine