Repurposing Business

Over-spiritualization of the good news of Jesus is one of the great failings of the church and religious leaders. The level of abstraction about practical things like business, money, debt, wealth and work are mind-boggling. We can fix that with practical work that is worship. Is my work practically no good, or good?

Some believe consistency is overrated (usually to cover their inconsistencies) but would not like it if their garbage was not collected each week, water did not flow from pipes on demand, or the sun rose randomly at the whim of a chaotic God. God built rhythm into his work and his outputs. Should our work inconsistencies then be excused as creativity, freedom or empowerment? When we work like God there is a certain, delightful consistency to aspects of our work and a wind-blowing nuance to others.

What drives your work? Is it competition, ambition or the need to put food on the table? The products and services we provide through or work can be someone's best experience of the care of God as we work with Compassion.

Reconciliation can be a messy business yet it is core to the work of God. The whole specter of history reveals the battle between good and evil, and at the core, the disconnect between God and man. Often this gap is most apparent in places of work since work and faith have been artificially separated. Our work is to reconcile. "God was in Christ reconciling the kosmos to himself..." big job, huge task, great honor: "and has made you ministers of reconciliation."

It is our job as individual and organizations to be involved in work that reforms. Reformed people reform systems that transform nations. Re-forming to God's original intent... this is collaboration with God in his Work.

God's opposition works to "steal, kill and destroy" so when we join God's workforce it stands to reason we are signing up to do the opposite, to do work that is redemptory. This goes beyond doing a job--it is participating in the grand purposes of God through our work.

We often like things brand new, out the box. God, however, has given us the job of being restorers... "restorers of streets with dwellings" it says in Isaiah 58. Sometimes corporate greed breaks down, plunders the environment and uses people. Our work should be different: restoring, rebuilding, even refreshing.

Work is covenantal in nature. Deuteronomy attests that even the blessing of our work by God is evidence of his covenant with us. We too must work as covenant people who work like God whose Yes is Yes and Amen.

Gave made us with a brain. Thinking is good; thinking with the Mind of Christ is even better. Work like God goes beyond information and calculation to Revelation. Faith comes from a spoken work (rhema) of God. We see work with faith's lens then make it happen visibly.

Sometimes workplaces tell people to leave their personal stuff at home. Nowadays enlightened companies are telling people "bring your whole self to work, including your faith" -- which they have to do since many people are working from home! God's design for work is that it is integrated with relationship building. Adam and Eve's first work included procreating... hard to do without relationship.