We kick off a new series with this episode—Meaningful Work: Calling, Formation, Service, and Love.
Work often feels meaningless. So what can we do both to find the meaning that's already there, and to make the work as meaningful as it can be?
As disciples of Jesus, we mean something in the world; we communicate the reality of who God is when we live in love. "As he is so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17 ESV). That high calling gives us a way in to find meaning in our work, too:
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Calling: The call of God on our lives imbues our work with meaning.
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Formation: God uses our work to conform our character to Christ's.
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Service: Our work itself serves human needs and good human desires.
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Love: The way we do our work and relate to others at work demonstrates God's love.
When we step into work in this way, we find it forms part of the meaning of life, both for us and for the people around us.
Sources: 1 John 4:16-19 (ESV)
Michael Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1966).
Bruce Barton, What Can a Man Believe? (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1927).
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