(upbeat music) - This is a big week for us at Desiring God. We will be hosting our national conference, which begins Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This will be our 12th national conference and it will be our final national conference. And I know a lot of listeners plan to be there in person this weekend.

It will also be a special conference for you, Pastor John, because you'll be giving five of the sessions yourself. You've never done that. The whole point of this conference is to show how relevant the Bible is for daily life. So Pastor John, what would you say to a listener, a man or a woman listening to this episode right now, who says, if they're really honest about it, that the Bible doesn't seem very relevant to their average day, to where they work, to where they live?

Why do I need to read the Bible every day? How would you answer that? - Well, one thing I know for sure in response to this question, and another thing I don't know. What I know is that the Bible is relevant to this person's average day, where he lives and works.

Say why in just a minute. And what I don't know is what his goals are in life and work. And the reason that matters is that you can have goals at work or in life, which will put you so out of sync with the Bible that you find the Bible to be annoying or condemning or boring, because all it's teaching is in a different direction from the direction you're going.

And I don't know where this question is coming from in terms of spiritual life or what the goals are. So let me go back to my first question. We'll circle around to the other one. I know the Bible is relevant to this person's daily life. He says he doesn't feel like it is.

I know it is. And here's how I know. The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." The Bible says, "Render service with a goodwill as to the Lord and not to man." So at work, is he rendering service to the Lord, not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive back from the Lord.

So this person's life and job fits in the category of whatever he does and rendering service. At least it ought to. "All of life is to be lived to the glory of God. And only in the Bible can we not only learn how to do this, but find the spiritual power to do it." So I say again, I don't know if this person has that goal.

If his passion is not to glorify God in his work and not to do it as to the Lord, then probably the Bible is gonna seem foreign, useless. But here's some questions I would ask to test, have him test or her test the relevance of the Bible. Are you ever tempted to grumble at work or complain?

Well, Philippians 2:15 is relevant and shows a glorious way to live without grumbling. Are you ever tempted to be greedy at work or to take something that's not yours? The Bible has lots to say about covetousness and greed and stealing and how to be so content in Christ, you're free at work to be generous.

Are you ever tempted to be worried or anxious at work? Everyone is. And the Bible talks about this almost as much as it does anything. The most common command in the Bible is fear not. Anybody who has any fears at work, the Bible's relevant. Are you ever tempted to brag at work or to boast or to draw attention to your self and your superiority in some area?

The Bible's full of wisdom about pride and humility and the effect it has on relationships. Are you ever tempted at work to be angry with anybody? Do you deal with temper issues? Are there strained relationships because you're so frustrated with other people? The Bible deals over and over again with the issue of anger and goes a lot deeper in that issue than any psychology can today.

Are you ever tempted to cut corners at work, not to do the whole work expected, like punch out early or come in late or work half-heartedly? The Bible is so relevant to the quality of our work. Are you ever tempted sexually at work to lust or to be unfaithful?

And the Bible's full of relevant materials, a robust view of sexuality that puts it all in a good perspective in a proper place. Are you ever tempted to feel sorry for yourself at work, to lick your own wounds because someone spoke evil of you or you got passed over for a promotion?

And the Bible's shot through with dynamics of life that help us deal with self-pity. Do you ever struggle with guilt at work, feelings that just come over you that are a vague sense that you're not as good as you should be or maybe you really failed at something you should have succeeded at by your own standards?

And there's no remedy except the ultimate remedy given in the Bible for guilt. Are there lost people at work that you care about? You don't want them to go to hell? Where are you gonna get help for dealing with them in the hope of giving them life except in the Bible?

Where are you gonna get strength and courage and boldness and wisdom for how to deal with those people? So my answer is it is so obvious the Bible is relevant for this fellow's work and his life, but really it comes down to this. Does he or she want to see the greatest treasure in the universe?

Does he desire to know Jesus and enjoy Jesus more than anything? Does he love people so much that he grieves over the fact that they don't know Jesus and will be lost forever without him? That's the question. If Jesus is supreme in this person's life, if he's supreme, if the passion is to know him above all, if the passion is to desire him and enjoy him and treasure him more than anything, if the passion is to bring as many people with you as you can into that experience, then you can't live without the Bible.

It's the most relevant book in the world. - Yes, amen. Thank you, Pastor John. And we'll be back tomorrow to address another question that we get, and it's this. If I go to church on Sundays and listen well to my pastor's faithful preaching, why do I need to labor to read and understand the Bible on my own?

We'll hear Pastor John respond to that tomorrow. I'm your host, Tony Reike. Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)