Finding God at Work

Each one of us has a kingdom. A place where we're in charge. It may be no bigger than our cubicle, but it matters.

That means each of us needs to learn how to be a king.

Bible history and world history give us plenty of examples of kings gone bad. The Jeroboam Problem still besets Christian leaders today: Clinging to authority more closely than we cling to Jesus.

But King Jesus can teach us how to bear authority well and wisely. We can pray with confidence, "You will make them princes throughout the land" (Psalm 45:16 NIV).

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The Bible says that you can be a builder. Specifically, you can be part of a team of restoration workers.

There's a promise, but it comes with a condition: "If you do away with the yoke of oppression. . . and satisfy the needs of the oppressed . . . you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings" (Isaiah 58:9-12 NIV).

Can we do our everyday work with justice? Can we build up the broken walls of our communities in the name of Jesus?

And can we let Jesus restore us in the process?

Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church.

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Priests go between God and the people. They offer sacrifices. They make offerings.

So, what is the offering that we can make to God?

Paul guides us in Romans 12 to see what we can offer: Our whole body. Our whole work. Our whole life.

It's an offering to God, but it's also an offering for the sake of the world. Any time that you love another human being in the character of Christ, God receives that as a worthy sacrifice.

That means the work that we do at our jobs, or in our homes—whether it's paid or unpaid—can become priestly work.

Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church.

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What does it mean for us to be artists in our work? To encounter Jesus as an artist in his work?

In the Exodus story, craftsmen like Bezalel and Oholiab were filled with the Spirit of God to do "skilled work." Even if we're not literal artists or craftworkers like that, we, too, can do works of beauty just by doing our work well. We exercise the "ministry of competence" in a way that brings God's beauty and goodness into the world in the most tangible ways.

When Jesus breathes on us, filling us with the Holy Spirit, he makes our work into ministry.

Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church.

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What does it mean to do our work as gardeners?

Whether or not we literally help plants grow as part of our day job, gardening is one of the Bible's central metaphors for our work. We're not primarily hunters or builders or mass producers. We're gardeners. We cultivate. We care. We discover. We wait.

What would it look like to approach your work with the mindset of a gardener every day?

As always, Jesus shows us the way. He is the gardener of our souls, bringing forth the fruit we need to do our work with him.

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The images of work that fill our mental landscape determine how we navigate our work lives. Images can haunt us, or they can draw us into beauty and life. What would it look like to fill our minds with the images that Scripture gives us to describe our work? Starting in this episode, we'll look at a series of biblical images that show us how we can work with Jesus every day: Gardener, Artist, Priest, Builder, King, Friend, Servant, and Emissary.

For more resources, including a study and reflection guide for each episode, visit Mission Central at https://missioncentral.church.

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In the Power story, work is the castle that keeps us safe. But what do we sacrifice for the sake of that security? "Security" isn't so far off from "salvation": when we live inside this story, we try to save ourselves through our work efforts. But Jesus tells us: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns." There's a different way to be saved, in our Father's care. That way frees us to protect not just our work, but also the rest of life.

For more resources, including a study and reflection guide for each episode, visit Mission Central at https://missioncentral.church.

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The Lifestyle story about work tells us we can "get work over with" to find fulfillment elsewhere. But is that really a fulfilling approach to our work life? When we let Jesus become the integrating center of our lives at work, he gives us a better way. Working with "singleness of heart" brings our work into one, undivided life. For more resources on faith in the workplace, visit Mission Central at https://missioncentral.church.

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Do What You Love. It's an enticing story about work, but a disappointing one. Pursuing passion keeps us from reconciling with the limitations of our circumstances. With Jesus' help, we can honor our longing for fulfillment at work while still finding contentment in our less-than-perfect jobs. Regardless of whether our work aligns with our deepest longings, God can fulfill his purposes through it as he uses it to shape our hearts. For more resources, visit Mission Central at https://missioncentral.church.

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In the first episode of Finding God at Work, we look at how story and imagination influence the way we work. It's true—work often feels like drudgery. But if we look at work through the lens of psychological insights and the story of Scripture, we can confront our pain rather than numb it, and ultimately experience healing in the presence of Jesus. Join us as we explore a more beautiful story for work than TGIF. For more resources and to delve deeper into the conversation about faith and work, visit Mission Central at https://missioncentral.church.

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