Hey, Carpool Crew! Welcome to Carpooling with Jesus. I'm Pastor Justin, and this is a special bonus episode. I'm really glad you're here. You know that moment when something gets really hard, and a little voice in your head says, "Just quit"? Yeah. We've all been there. So let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: Set a big goal, and work hard for God. Listen to this from Colossians chapter 3, verse 23: "Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people." Paul was talking about the everyday work people did. Whatever you do. That's not just church stuff. That's your math page, soccer practice, cleaning your room. "From the heart" means you really give it your effort. You're not faking it or doing the bare minimum. And "for the Lord" means you're not just doing it so people will clap for you. You're doing it for Jesus. Paul even used athletes as a picture of this. In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 25, he says, "Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything." Self-control means saying no to some things so you can say yes to something better, like practicing when you'd rather sit on the couch. Paul looked at that kind of hard work and said following Jesus takes that kind of effort too. So hard work is not something to run away from. When you set a big goal, work hard for it, and do it for Jesus, that is a good and godly thing. And this part really matters. You don't work hard so God will love you. He already does. If you finish first, God loves you. If you finish last, God loves you. Your hard work is a way to honor Him, not a way to earn Him. A big goal takes weeks, maybe months. There will be days you're tired, days you mess up, and days you don't feel like it at all. That doesn't mean you picked the wrong goal. That's just what hard things feel like. And your big goal doesn't have to be a race. Maybe it's memorizing a whole chapter of the Bible. Maybe it's painting a really big painting. Maybe it's starting a little business in your neighborhood, like washing cars or selling lemonade, with your parents' help. Hey, this week, here are a couple things you could try. First, pick one big goal. Something you can't do tomorrow. Tell your mom or dad about it, and write it down somewhere you'll see it. Second, take the very first small step this week. And before you start, pray, "God, I'm doing this for You. Help me keep going." Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Set a big goal, and work hard for God. Whatever you do, do it for Him. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if this show has been a good part of your mornings, I'd love for you to think about subscribing to Carpooling with Jesus+. When you subscribe, you get Goodnight Psalms, a short, calm Psalm for your kids at bedtime. You get Carpooling with Jesus on the weekends too, like this Saturday's episode on being scared of bad luck and Sunday's on being scared of a substitute teacher. And you get Carpooling with Heroes of the Bible. On Tuesday, October 27, all five episodes on John the Baptist come out, and my very good friend Cathi is our guest host. Episode one is free for everybody. Subscribers get all five. It's $3.99 a month, which is less than a coffee run. You can subscribe right here on Spotify, and I really hope you consider it. Every subscription helps us keep making these episodes for families like yours. *(APPLE VERSION ONLY, swap for the paragraph above: "It's $3.99 a month, or there's a yearly option right here on Apple Podcasts for $34.99. That works out to under three dollars a month, which is like getting three months free. I really hope you consider it. Every subscription helps us keep making these episodes for families like yours.")* Hey, before you go, let's answer this question together. What's one big goal you could start working on this week? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
