podcast

The Too Salty Podcast hosts Nicole and Rhea discuss a devotional on the topic of success. They talk about how humans are value-oriented and constantly rate things in their lives. They emphasize the importance of valuing God above worldly success and finding fulfillment in Him. They also discuss the need to surrender their desires to God and trust in His plan. Both hosts share their personal reflections on surrendering and finding rest in God amidst life's chaos. This is Nicole and this is Rhea and welcome to the Too Salty Podcast. Woo! So this is our first episode today and we're so excited that you're here listening to us. Yes, welcome. Welcome. So today we were just thinking like we're just going to do a little devotion and we just want to speak to you guys what we got poured into this past week and next week or yes, next week we're just going to talk more about ourselves. Yeah. So I'll read the devotional and Rhea's going to then do her little commentary on it and then we're just going to speak some more things that we think we need to add. So this is the devotional today. We're going to hunger for some success in life. May you hunger for the complete success of the gospel in your heart. You and I don't live by instinct. We are value-oriented, goal-oriented, and purpose-oriented and important-oriented human beings. We are constantly rating everything in our lives. We have all things that are important to us and things that are not. Things that mean a lot to us and things that mean very little. We willingly make sacrifices for one thing and refuse to sacrifice for another. We grieve the loss of one thing and celebrate the loss of another. We love what another person hates and we see as a treasure something that another person thinks that is trash. We look at something and see beauty while the person next to us sees no beauty in it. Some things are so important to us that they shape the decisions that we make and the actions that we take. Some things command the lines of our hearts while other things barely get our attention. In the center of this value system is our definition of success. No rational human being wants to be a failure. No one thinks that he has wasted his life. No one wants to think that in the end she will look back and realize that she has invested in things that just didn't matter. Everyone wants to think that his or her life is or will be successful. But what is success? Is it judged by the size of your house, the prominence of your friends, the success of your career, or the power of your precision? The size of your pile of possessions, the perfection of your physical beauty, the breadth of your knowledge, or the list of your achievements? The problem with all of these things is that they quickly pass away because they do. If you live for these things, you will eventually come up empty. Contrast the view of success with the success of God's work in and through you. God offers you the things of supreme value, his forgiveness, his presence, and his welcome into his kingdom, a clean conscience, and a pure heart. These things will never pass away. These are the eternal valuable gifts of divine grace. This leaves you with this question. What do I really want in life? The success of God's agenda of grace or the fulfillment of my catalog of desires? At the end of the day, what do you long for? For God's grace to do its work or for more of the stuff that this physical world created has to offer? Be honest. What kind of success are you looking for and how is it shaping the decisions you make and the actions you take? That was so good. Yeah, that was so good. I really, really like this devotional. Well, I just read that, so I'm going to ask you first. What did you get out of it? I think going back to the chart, I really like they mentioned that we're not instinctively oriented, but we're value-oriented, goal-oriented, and purpose-oriented, which I feel like that's what separates us from animals, because animals are not by their instincts, and that's just like basically tells us that God exists. Yes, that's good. Yeah, and then like chasing the success, I feel like everybody has that desire in their heart, and for me, I feel like the question should, for me, the question is how do we find the balance of chasing or wanting success, but like not chasing it, and that instantly reminds me of that verse that says, seek first the kingdom of God, and all things come unto you, and that's so true, because once you give yourself to God and just devote your life towards Him, and like all your actions are done considering God and His salvation, I feel like the blessings just come, and it's just so good, and like the fulfillment you get out of all the work you do, no matter how big the work is, I feel like the fulfillment or like the void that's in our heart, which is why humans chase success, only comes through God, so yeah, that's what I got reminded of. What do you think? I don't know, this is so good, like I got so many things out of this, like literally so good, but I'm going to just say a couple things that I thought were so good, but like we hunger things like of this world that we don't need to hunger, like we need to hunger the success of God, like we need to hunger Jesus, like the success that we find in Him, which is just like Him, like just belonging in Him, and like just His gospel, like His word, and like it was saying, it was basically like saying that, like how we all value something different than the other person, like next to us, and like we all value something else, but like the one thing that we need to value, like that is so important, is like God, like above like all, and like another thing, like it was saying that, what is it, oh like contrast the view of success with the success of God's work in and through you, like that's like comparing your success, like compared to God's success, is like so different, like it's basically like your plans against His plans, which is just like, like your plans might be like good for you, but like He has so much better, like in store for you, like better than like you know, and then, yeah, like I feel like for me, like, like this is basically what I've been like dwelling on, like for this past week, it's just like my success, like it is so good, because I needed this today, but it's like basically like, I like caught myself valuing like, like oh like, am I getting a good grade in this, or like, just like, like I'm valuing myself, like around these like worldly things, and like, but like the main thing that like I was focusing on like this week, was like just finding rest in God, like just finding peace in what He thinks, and like just, you know, like dwelling in Him, which is like so good that like we read this today, so yeah, I really like this, and oh also, yeah, because when it said like, and like this was really good when it said the problem with all these things is that they quickly pass away, and because they do, if you live for these things, they will, you will eventually come up empty, which is so great, like it's hits, like hits home, because like, like if we like value like these things, like of the world, like we will come up empty from it, because we're not chasing like eternal life, which we were like talking about the other day, like the woman at the well, like we're not, we're not going, like we're going to the water of the well, when the living water is right in front of us, yeah, but like all we needed to do is like accept, and usually we were talking about that before, which is so good, and yeah, so now I just want to ask you, what have these past, or what has this past week been teaching you, like what has God been teaching you this past week? Um, great question, um, I think, gotta think about it, yeah, last week was, I wouldn't say it was tough, but it was just one of those weeks that I felt tough at work, and like I had, I had very like low energy, um, and yeah, but um, also like one of my co-workers was, was on vacation the other week, so she was back from that, from her vacation, so that was good, but I think, um, I think last week, and just like ever since this year has started, I have constantly reminded myself to, um, surrender to God. Yes, that's so good. Every time I'm questioning, or being anxious, or like if I want something, I always remind myself at the end of the day to like surrender those desires to God, because I, because I've learned from, like I've learned this, that no matter how bad I want it, if it's not in God's face, it's not going to work out, and like there's no, like it's not good to like waste my energy wanting things that are not from God, so just like surrendering. Oh, so good. It's what we read today, like the devotion, like the suggesting again, it's crazy. Yeah, it's like asking God's will in every desire of mine, that is it really from Him, or like is it something that I'm just like, you know, wanting, so yeah, constant surrender. That is, that is really good. What do I do? Hug you? Um, so God, yes. But, um, I think for me, like, I think the same thing is honestly like just surrendering out to Him, like, like just literally laying it down at His feet, because like, I don't know, like I was telling you, like my life has been so chaotic, like for the past week, it's just like go, go, go, go, go, and I feel like I just get so overwhelmed, like when I don't have like everything, like according to my plan, like things, like I have to schedule everything, like be organized with it, but you know, it's just like, like with school, like with other things, like, like having to do like all these things with other people, it's just like such a mess, and I literally had a mental breakdown, but God was just like, well, you just have to literally rest in Him, like He will give you peace, like even if life is chaotic, and like I was telling you, like college, like college, like I haven't got accepted yet, and like to the college I really want to go to, and it's just so like, like just taking a toll on me, like oh my gosh, like I'm so worried about it, but like at the end of the day, like I have to tell myself, like God's plan is so much better than like what I'm thinking, whatever I'm thinking and stuff, so yeah, just surrendering it to Him, that's like a big thing that I've been learning this week, also like, so this, the girl that disciples me, her name is Kara, so we were talking today, me, her, and my friend Autumn, we were talking about worship, and I think that topic is so beautiful, like this, we were talking about worship, and because we're on the, like we're on the worship team, and I was basically just talking like, you know, like when we worship, like that is the time where I feel like I literally have to surrender everything to God, and literally just, that is like the moment where like I lay it all down at His feet, and it's like just, the time like during worship is just so surrenderful, and it's just so like good, so I feel like, yeah, I just, I just be playing worship music, and I just be like God, like take the wheel, literally be like that, so yeah, that is, that is, that is what we were talking about, and like during worship, like we have to break down our pride, like we're worshiping, like it's not about us at all, like it's His grace that we're here, that we're like standing here, like which is so crazy, like that He literally chose us to be here, and like we were talking about like it's so precious that we wake up every single morning, like it's so crazy that He protects us every single day, like with everything through everything, and it's just crazy like, like we just literally have to thank God for everything, like every single day, and yeah, it's just, I don't know, it's just crazy like how much God loves us, it's, yeah, yeah, that's just, that's just what has been on my mind, but yeah, so do you have any other closing thoughts you want to share? Um, I think this term has been going around a lot at work, and by the way guys, she works at YouVersion if you didn't know. Yeah, it's the coolest job ever, and I'm so thankful that I get to work there, like I literally was telling my friends that Monday to Friday feels like a weekend to me, and then on weekends I'm like, oh, what do I do? Because I love my job, and they just like expect more, like yeah, it's great to like surrender and work, like we were talking about surrender, but then also like our God is so good, and he has so many good plans for us, like so many good big plans, so we should, that should never like let us do things that we shouldn't do. Oh, wait, that's what we were talking about too. We should always be expecting more than this, because he's just the God who like provides more than our expectations. Yeah, that's so good, that is so good. So, yes guys, that was our podcast, episode one, guys, which is crazy that we're starting this. Yeah, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thanks so much for joining us, and we'll see you on the next one. Bye. Bye. Bye.