Purposes and Plans - Labor not to be Rich

Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry

Purposes and Plans: Labor not to be rich

Rev. Michele Owes: Welcome. Welcome. Welcome back to the Teachable Woman podcast. We are so excited to be with you again—yet another day. We are thankful to you for opening your cars and homes, allowing us to travel with you on your trips to and from work, sharing the word of God, laughing, and being a part of your life. I am with Reverend Mrs. Diana P. Cherry, and we are Teachers of Good Things. Mrs. Cherry, please greet our podcast family.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello Podcast family. I know that you and everybody in the United States of America are in a questioning and tumultuous state. But I want you to know we serve the God of all peace and the God of all grace. I want you to be encouraged [00:01:00] in the Lord and the power of His might. And that's it. Always focus on God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. You said that's it!

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah, always focus on God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. When we were together in our last podcast for a brief review of what we've been covering, we talked about the fact that God always has a plan. God's plan is to fulfill his will on earth, which is his purpose. We learned that if God be for us, who can be against us? We know that as we work through learning what God's will is for our lives, as we seek him, we want to be directed by His Holy Spirit to do what he would have us do. We recognize that where there is purpose, there is [00:02:00] always some opposition. Sometimes, we run into opposition and might feel like, Oh, this cannot be what God asked me to do because it's way too hard. Too many things are going wrong. God was supposed to open that door and make that thing run smoothly. I want to remind you that we are good soldiers, right? What soldier does not have to go through basic training and learn how to use their armor and learn how to be a good soldier for the Lord?

Rev. Michele Owes: Without difficulties, we would not know what we could accomplish. I was once told that God gives us assignments we cannot possibly complete without him. That allows us to stay humble, which causes us to seek him always and not get the big head and feel like we can do this without him. God told me to do this, I don't [00:03:00] need you. I don't need anybody. No. We need the spirit of God to lead, guide, and direct us. Undoubtedly, there are people that God will add to your life as we journey with him to fulfill our purposes and plans. Another thing that we made sure that we were clear on the last time we were together, is it's not just one purpose and it's not just one plan. There are purposes, and there are plans. The founding Episcopal pastor used to refer to it as a midcourse correction. Sometimes, we can be working on a thing, and God gives us a midcourse correction, and we're moving to do something else. So we recognize that there are purposes and plans for our lives. We also learn that we were predestined. This means that God already knows where he wants us to be and what he wants us to do; he's already [00:04:00] planned it. We run into difficulty in life, where we have a lack of peace and joy and feel unloved and unaccepted when we are not moving in the direction that God has predestined us to be in. We also learn that He called us out of Romans chapter number eight Mrs. Cherry read for us versus 27. I think it was 33. But we learned that we are also called one to clarify that called does not necessarily mean called to preach the gospel, but it means that God is summoning us out of the crowd.

Rev. Michele Owes: He's calling us to him. We were justified, meaning we were made right with Christ. Right with God, as a result of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we were justified, and then he also glorified us, giving us an opportunity to glorify his name. Verse number [00:05:00] 31 brought us to, What then shall we say of these things if God be for us, who can be against us? We also focused on verse number 28: We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are the called. according to his purpose. We understand that even those things that don't work according to the way we wanted them to, even those things that did not shake out the way we planned, work together for our good.

Rev. Michele Owes: There's always something that we can learn. We can always look to God and say, what did you want me to learn from this? What is the message that you want me to gain from this? Where do I need to grow in areas where I may have failed? God is all about our growth and [00:06:00] development so that we can fulfill his plan. Mrs. Cherry, share with us. Yes. Wow.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I was ju reading over the scripture from Romans 8. I just encourage you to read those scriptures because if God is for us, who can be against us? I mean, it doesn't matter what the challenges are. Challenges are made to make us stronger. I often make the statement that stumbling blocks can really be stepping stones.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So whatever obstacles you face in life. We still say serve the same God as we say on this program all of the time. He is the same yesterday today and forever and so it does not matter what the challenges are and I was talking to a lady in my pool class today and she [00:07:00] was Talking about valentine day and I share with her that that's the very day That my husband went to the hospital and two days later he was gone.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And she was saying, Oh my goodness. And I said, you know, that's, I didn't say that to be sad. I didn't say that for you to. go to a pity party with me. My husband is gone and I'm okay with it. You know, I've had six years now to get okay with it. And I said, I don't on the 14th of February, I don't lock myself in a room in the dark and say, woe is me.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And that lady, I don't know when I made a comment to her before, but she said, you know, You said something to me once before like this, and she said, You changed my life. You turned my life around. She said, because I've lost everybody in my family. Basically, my mother, my father, you know, everybody's siblings.[00:08:00]

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And she said, I heard you make a statement like that before. And it just turned my life around. And she said, I really don't don't go there anymore. When these days come. But I think sometimes we can focus so much on what has happened or what might happen or what could happen or what they said that we forget about the fact that we have the peace of God, it passes all understanding, but the peace of God will rest and rule in our hearts.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And that word rule means that. Peace in our hearts is kind of like an umpire. It, it it, it pulls things certain ways. If you're going too far to the left, that peace in your heart will pull you back and it will, it will. Just like an umpire in a baseball game, it will just get you back on course. And [00:09:00] particularly for my life givers, I know that these are challenging times.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I know that our minds tend to wander. But the thing is, God hasn't changed. God loves you. God loves me. And even though things look a little uncertain, that just makes us trust God more. So, you know, we have to learn how to trust God. That's the most important thing that we can do in our lives. Because God is not going to forsake us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Other people will. Jobs will, supervisors will paychecks will, but we have just got to get back to some good old fashioned religion where we say, for God I live, for God I live, for God I die, blessed be the name of the Lord, amen. I will [00:10:00] my trust in him. An old, old song

Rev. Michele Owes: hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I will trust in the Lord.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I will trust

Rev. Michele Owes: the

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: in the Lord. I will trust in the Lord till I die. And I won't dare accept that.

Rev. Michele Owes: Till I

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I won't dare let you hear me try to sing that. But when you feel yourself getting a little, I know you can't. But when you feel,

Rev. Michele Owes: I can't.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: when you feel yourself getting a little low, just start humming. I will trust in the Lord.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I will trust in the Lord. Encourage yourself in the Lord like David had to do. We're going to become

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: strong, committed and trustworthy Christians because of all the stuff we're going [00:11:00] through. So be strong, my sister,

Rev. Michele Owes: my

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: my brother. God.

Rev. Michele Owes: strong. Amen.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: My sister and my bro , we are going to be stronger than ever.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We're gonna go back to some of our old fashioned roots and we're gonna make it through all of this stuff. I know we are because we are made out good stuff. You know? We are made out of good stuff

Rev. Michele Owes: And God

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: and God is with us.

Rev. Michele Owes: God

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes,

Rev. Michele Owes: And he's

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: yes. Who can be against us? Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: You know, as we

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right,

Rev. Michele Owes: that's their purpose for their labor, for whatever it is they're doing. And we also [00:12:00] learned from our Founding Episcopal pastor that God will give you anything he can trust you with. For those laboring to get rich, if you will, can God trust you with richness is always a good question to ask yourself. and if God can trust you with, with richness, then what we're talking about is who will benefit. From what God has blessed you with we can see in our nation and in many other nations in the world, how there have been a small few who benefited from the wealth of the entire country. And yet there is no concern for others, but then we can also pick out people who. What's we're trusted with wealth, but we can see the benefit others, and how they have made sure that not only they, but also others [00:13:00] able to benefit from the blessing that God had bestowed upon them.

Rev. Michele Owes: So the scripture also tell us not to labor, to be rich, but what is the purpose and the plan for your desire for the love of money? Is the root of all evil. It's not that money is evil. Nothing is wrong with money. Money is a tool. It's a tool that allows us to achieve whatever the goals, plans and the will is for our lives, right? So it's not money. It's the love of money. So if the purpose of our life is just to get rich, as the young people say, why though? Why do we want to be rich? But why though? So figure out what your why is and is your why in alignment with the will of God? If the why is in alignment with the [00:14:00] will of God,and he can be glorified in your life amen. There will always be those who say, well, so and so and so got rich, and they're not doing anything for the Lord, and such and such and such got rich, and they're not doing anything for the Lord. I say we don't know what God will do in people's lives. We can also say we don't know how long wealth will last.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right.

Rev. Michele Owes: The devil will set you up high just to bring you low.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: What does scripture say?

Rev. Michele Owes: And there are many examples.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The scripture said our riches will take wings like an eagle. Bye-bye birdie.

Rev. Michele Owes: Right? Because there is a measure of money made, doesn't mean that measure will last. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to lose it. Sometimes people take it. Unlawful people will call you and clean out your account. They tell you they are your local bank, and your local bank [00:15:00] never called you. They will convince you to give up all the information. The spoofing mechanism that they used when the phone call came showed up as your bank or your credit union, and It wasn't them. There are so many different things happening in the world today. But we just want to you to understand that as you seek the Lord for the purpose and the plan for your life, and you begin to move in the direction that you believe God is leading you in first, remember that God will give you whatever he can trust you with. Second, remember that When the decision is made, it may not turn out immediately how you want it to. So, you do not judge the decision to follow what you believe is God's purpose and plan for your life based on the immediate outcome.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm

Rev. Michele Owes: [00:16:00] pastor as he shared purposes and plans with us. because God is working on making you a soldier in the process. We don't wake up and everything is done the next day. We must have the character. We have to have good conduct, and we have to be committed.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: There are going to be some challenges along the way. And we also learned where there is great purpose, there is great opposition.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm hmm, mm

Rev. Michele Owes: You're learning how to rely upon the Lord. God is not going to assign you to things you can do easily because you won't need Him. He will set you up with things you think you can't do because you have to rely on him. You will [00:17:00] seek him, and it will be done his way, his plan and according to his will. He will begin to disassemble people from your life who cannot go where you're going. Doesn't mean anything's wrong with them. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. They can't go for this ride. You'll find that there were people that you thought you would be with for the rest of your life, but they won't be with you. You will look up and God will be adding people to your life that you didn't know, you couldn't plan, you could not have picked out with your best skills. God drew them because God has a purpose and a plan. I don't think there's a better example of that than you and I, Mrs. Cherry. We didn't know each other. We didn't grow up with each other. We're not really in the same age range, but God drew us together. First, he drew our husbands together. [00:18:00] Then he drew us. Well, I was a member of the church before my husband was. But God drew all of us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: Okay. Now our husbands are at home with him, and he is like, daughters, you are not retired.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes, yes,

Rev. Michele Owes: I have things that I need from you

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right,

Rev. Michele Owes: And you've heard them.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right. You can't get rich from some of the things that seem like get-rich-quick things that we see on the internet and in the world. Riches without the peace of God will lead you to a crazy house.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It's okay to be rich, but I'm going to read something to you from Ephesians.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Ephesians 4 verse number 21. If so, be you have heard him and have been taught by him. As the truth is in Jesus, put [00:19:00] ye that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitfulness of lust, and that's kind of what riches can be, but be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man, which after God is created and righteousness is and true holiness.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And I'm coming up to the operative verses. Wherefore, put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor. For we are members one of another. Be angry and sin not, and let not the sun go down on your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. God might be protecting you by keeping you from being rich because he knows that those riches will lead you straight into a place where the devil can get you.[00:20:00]

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Verse number 28 of Ephesians 4 is the operative verse. Now listen, you want to get rich to buy cars and houses and this, that, and the other, but listen to what the Word of God says. Let him that stole, steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, The thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We have to give. We don't have to keep. We don't have to spend.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We don't have to blow it on corrupt living. We don't have to be a show-off. You know, I often say to the Lord, Lord, if I had a gazillion dollars, I would give it away. I mean, it's so many people who are hurting. And so, when we labor, we work with our hands.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Working is a good thing. Some people will get rich, not putting in a lot of labor, and congratulations to them. Hallelujah. But laboring with your hands is a good thing. We work so that we can have, and we have so that we can give. Giving is not complete until receiving takes place. We give with a heart, praying that our gift will make a difference in the lives of the people that we help in the life of the people that we give to.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm constantly giving and then as you're seeking these riches as you're seeking the world's way, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace [00:22:00] unto the hearer and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. Why? Because by the Holy Spirit, we are sealed.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Until the day of redemption. So therefore we have to let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking and evil speaking and evil speaking. I'm saying it deliberately because there's a lot of stuff happening now that make us want to speak evil about a whole lot of people and a whole lot of things.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. Listen, we're going to have to learn how to love one another. We're going to have to learn to share what we have with one another. We're going to have to look out for our brothers and our sisters, because I have a feeling that things are going to get a lot [00:23:00] worse before they get better.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So we need to understand that anything we have is not ours exclusively. If we have an opportunity to share, to minister to our brothers and our sisters, we must not shut up our bowels of compassion because God will bless us with whatever he can trust us with. If we start acting ugly and selfish, the same God that blessed us can shut off that flow of blessings.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen to that.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Be encouraged. Take it away, Reverend.

Rev. Michele Owes: As we look as we look at purposes and plans, we want you to have a few tips to be able to understand the will of God. Some people [00:24:00] think that once you get saved everything will be easy, or you'll never have any more problems. Everything is going to be kumbaya. Not true. Not so. There will be challenges in life. But the difference is that whatever challenge you face, you face them with a God who will never leave you and will never fail you. You have a God whose love for you will undergird you through all the challenges that you face, that the peace that he will give you, even during a storm, things can be just, things can be going on around you and you could just think it all just broke loose, somehow you will have peace because you'll know that your God is

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: You'll know that your God is for you.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm

Rev. Michele Owes: Know that he loves you and that you can begin to look for him in difficult situations. I can remember when I learned that I needed to [00:25:00] look for God, not just look at the situations and difficulties, but look for God. When I began to look for God in difficult situations, I could see him working.

Rev. Michele Owes: Hey, without me. He didn't need me to help him fix or do anything. He just needed me to be his daughter. One who knows his word, who will apply his word, and who will follow his instructions. Oftentimes, we feel like we need to get out there and fix some things for God, but really, we are just in the way. But if we look for God, even in difficult situations, we'll find his work. We can see how he. Made something beautiful out of something awful. How, you know, the things that the devil meant for bad, made good out of it because all things will work together for the good of them that love the Lord, that are the [00:26:00] called according to his purpose. as you're praying and seeking God for his will for your life, His will for your life, what he would have you to do, where he would have you to go, then make sure that you obey, write down what he says to you, obey, work on the purposes, work on the plans, and make sure that you are busy about your life. Doing

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm

Rev. Michele Owes: in the earth. It's not just about getting rich quick. It's not about having a lot of things. How many cars can you drive? How many houses do you need? As Mrs. Cherry said, it's not about being a show-off, but it's about whether God can trust us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm

Rev. Michele Owes: We pray that this has been helpful to you as you work on the [00:27:00] purposes, finding God's purpose and plans for your life. We still encourage you to get into a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. Watch God work in your life as you watch him disassemble people from you; please don't run to go get them. God has disassembled. Let them, they will be fine in his hands and you will be fine in his hands, but maybe not involved in your life. So allow God to do what he's going to do. You may find that God will take you away on the side of a mountain somewhere to give you some alone time so that he can speak directly to your heart to instruct you in the things of God. And I tell you, there's nothing like having some alone time with God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah. Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: That's exactly why we're having another women's retreat. 2025 July 17 through 20 here in Houston, [00:28:00] Texas. We are so excited about the number of women who are already signing up. We want you to be here. You'll hear more about purposes, plans, and prayer. So we're excited about that. Right, Mrs. Cherry. Take it away.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Well, remember to love God. Make loving God your number one priority. Love God, trust God. He'll never leave you. Make sure that you don't leave him. And for those of us who might be having employment challenges, whatever you do, do love God. Not stop tithing to God. That's how we are blessed by God. If you have a dollar, a dime belongs to God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: If you have two dollars, 20 cents belongs to God. It doesn't matter how much you give, it matters that you give a tenth. So do not shut up your bowels of compassion in your tithing. Do not shut up your [00:29:00] bowels of compassion in your tithing. As you reach out and try to help that brother or that sister who might be struggling or have suffered an even greater loss than you.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: God bless you, and I love you.

Rev. Michele Owes: We love you. We'll see you on our next podcast. Go to teachablewoman.com to find out more about the retreat.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen