Finding God at Work

Does kindness count at work? The norm at work is being nice: superficial social harmony. But the kindness that the Spirit produces starts in the heart. Going through the work day is an obstacle course. Not just in terms of everything we have to get done, but also in terms of doing each of those things *with kindness* to everyone around us. The Holy Spirit is our coach as we face this obstacle course. If we pay attention to his guidance, we can start to face every work challenge with a genuine, tender concern for others’ well-being. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Kindness #Nice #ArtificialHarmony #MinnehaElementarySchool #Wichita #AmericanNinjaWarrior #HolySpirit #Coach #Habit #CharlesDuhigg #HabitLoop #PowerOfHabit #Cue #Routine #Reward #JulianOfNorwich #Passion #Galatians5 #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

It sure seems like certain dogs are better than certain people. But what makes a person “go bad”? Or, to put it positively: What does it mean to be a good person? If we don't have a sense of what it means to be a good person, we don't know how to live. But people who try really hard to “be good”—especially religious people—often end up “going bad” in a different way: They get self-righteous, tribalistic, and stuck up.  We really want good people who aren't full of themselves. But how do we get people like *that*? Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Goodness #Humility #Religion #Hypocrisy #Pride #Grace #HolySpirit #CSLewis #Competition #Olympics #Jesus #Face #Psalm27 #FiddlerOnTheRoof #Anticipation #Galatians5 #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

If someone is faithful, that means you can count on them. They’re sturdy. They’re reliable. When the Bible uses the word “faithfulness,” it’s often talking about the covenant God made with his people. He swore to be true to them. God proves his faithfulness by sending his Holy Spirit to fulfill his covenant in us, from the inside out. We can be true to each other because God is true to us. We can show up–at work and at church–in ways that really matter. We can learn to say, “You can count on me.” Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Faithfulness #Faith #Sturdy #Stable #Stability #MyVeryFirstBible #RussFlint #YouCanCountOnMe #Covenant #Marriage #Galtians5 #Exodus34 #Torah #Pentecost #HolySpirit #Galatians5 #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral

Our working world is often harsh.   But gentleness is part of the fruit of the Spirit.   What is gentleness? A tender response to the weakness of others.   When a coworker shows weakness, how do we respond? With judgment, or with compassion?   When we begin to view human beings as precious, like Jesus does, then we begin to respond to their weaknesses differently.   If we see Jesus as someone who is truly gentle, then we will find the freedom to be gentle towards others even when they are harsh toward us.   Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church.   #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Gentleness #Tender #Weakness #Neurotheology #JimWilder #BruceWillis #Intern #Precious #Harsh #DaneOrtlund #GentleAndLowly #Rembrandt #JewishJesus #CSLewis #Liking #Affection #Galatians5 #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral

We kick back against self-control because we want freedom, we want to be able to choose. But self-control is actually all about finally being able to choose. It’s the restoration of your will to the C-suite of your life. Often, something else is in charge of our lives: our bodily habits (whether we want them to be or not). The body makes a good servant but a bad master. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God puts your will back in charge so that when you say yes to God, it flows all the way down: Your will says yes to God, your habits say yes to God, and your body says yes to God. The Spirit gives us means of training so that these changes are real and lasting. By grace, you can live out the fruit of the Spirit in your bodily, everyday life. That’s real freedom. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #ViktorFrankl #Auschwitz #Freedom #SelfControl #Will #Habit #Body #HolySpirit #Galatians5 #OnTheSpot #Gossip #Temptation #Silence #Fasting  #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

Religious communities often try to solve their problems with rules. When we think about living out our faith in the workplace, some of us fall into thinking about "following the rules." People do really problematic and destructive things sometimes, so this intuition makes sense. Let’s make rules against the problematic and destructive things! But the rules can’t heal us. They don’t address *why* we’re doing the destructive things in the first place. They don’t give us life. In Galatians 5, Paul gives us a different approach. When we put our faith in Jesus as Messiah, we receive the Holy Spirit, who can change us from the inside out, transforming how we interact with our coworkers and everyone else at work. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Passions #Mortification #Union #Covenant #Torah #Diagnosis #Prescription #License #Freedom #HolySpirit #Galatians5 #DallasWillard #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

The Stoic philosophers had some bright ideas. The New Testament both draws on the Stoic tradition and challenges it. The Stoics’ key idea was “mind over matter.” If you can just *think* about things in the right way, you’ll reach a joy that doesn’t depend on circumstances. But there’s a step missing here. We’re not just brains on a stick. We have bodies. If we want to experience deep inner goodness, we need more than information. We need a power beyond ourselves that can help us change our embodied habits for good. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Stoic #Stoics #Seneca #Joy #Embodied #NeuralPathways #Flesh #Habit #HabitChange #Change #HolySpirit #Galatians5 #Interaction #DallasWillard #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral

What kind of fruit am I bearing at work? Fruit pops up all over the Bible. It’s there from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem. It’s one of the predominant metaphors in the Bible for describing human beings and their relationship with God. But what does it *mean* to “be fruitful” or to “bear fruit”? Jesus teaches that, “no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. . . . The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil” (Luke 6:43,45 ESV). Fruit comes out of who we *really* are, on the inside. When we look at our words and actions in the workplace, we see the condition of our hearts. If we’re honest with ourselves, we're not always bearing the fruit that we wish we would. But Jesus can help us with that. He can make the tree good. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Fruit #FruitOfTheSpirit #Heart #Treasure #GoodTree #BadTree #Luke6 #Galatians5 #Interaction #DallasWillard #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

“Don't be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Oh, Lord, open his eyes so he may see” (2 Kings 6:16-17 NIV). Just like the servant of the prophet Elisha in this story, we need our eyes to be opened. The reality of God’s kingdom is always there, right around us. But we often miss it. We forget that it’s there. We don't need stories that are inspirational, but then feel detached and disconnected from the actual stresses we face in the workplace or at home. We need something that's just as real as the difficulties we face when our alarm goes off in the morning. And that's exactly what God offers. He offers us the opportunity to see his reality. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Imagination #OpenOurEyes #Unseen #Hidden #ChariotsOfFire #Elisha #2Kings6 #CSLewis #Joy #SurprisedByJoy #GeorgeMacDonald #Baptism #Philippians48 #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral  

An emissary is an ambassador or messenger. Sometimes, an emissary is a trailblazer. They connect kingdoms that have never been connected before. Jesus is the emissary who bridges the kingdoms of spiritual reality. Paul writes, “For [the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13 NIV). Jesus rescues us. Then, he sends us as emissaries of light in the dominion of darkness. But the pressure isn’t on us. We’re just two-watt bulbs with solar panels, soaking up the infinite light of Jesus. When we let him shine on us, we have light to share with everyone around us at work. Get more resources, including a reflection and study guide for each episode, at https://missioncentral.church. #FindingGodAtWork #FaithAndWork #Emissary #Ambassador #Messenger #GanYing #SpiceRoad #Empires #Kingdoms #Colossians1 #Matthew5 #LetYourLightShine #TimKeller #Mission #SpiritualFormation #ChristianLife #MissionCentral