Get In The Game: Week 4- Get In The Game At Work

Dealing with supervisors, coworkers, and customers can definitely bring challenges and try our patience. For many, “work life” and our “church life” seem like a giant disconnect. Stephen Phelan, Chief Pastoral Officer of Movement Mortgage, challenged us to think about what it means to connect with the presence of God in our work. Whether your work is leading thousands in the corporate world, sitting in a cubicle crunching numbers, sitting in a school classroom learning math, washing dishes at home, coaching a little league team, or any host of other endeavors, our work is very important to the Kingdom of God.

We each have a primary calling, which can be found in Matthew 22:37-40. To boil it down, we are all called to love God and love people. We must make all of our lives about people.

1. Love God – The order in which the Bible orders this is intentional. Our relationship with God is primary. As Deuternonomy 6:4-6 says, “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” We must love out of an overflow of our relationship with our Father.
2. Love your neighbor – We need to choose to see Jesus in everyone we meet. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Mother Teresa said it this way, “Whenever I meet someone in need, it’s really Jesus in His most distressing disguise.”

We each have a secondary calling, which is from God, for God, and for others. He gifts us with talents and resources to make a difference for Him in the world around us.

1. It’s from God – 1 Corinthians 7:17 saya, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.” We should love our teammates so much that they feel the love of God.
2. It’s for God – Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” We must remember everything we have is His, and we have the privilege to steward it. He is our primary boss, and our job is to work for Him as we lead people, make money, and impact the community around us. When we have the perspective of working for the Lord first, it should challenge us to work to the best of our ability! (1 Corinthians 9:24)
3. It’s for others – The world doesn’t revolve around you or me. God is at the center, and we need to love Him by loving those around us.

3 Human Needs at work

1. Everyone needs a friend
2. Everyone needs help in a crisis
3. Everyone needs help living a life of purpose

It is so fruitful, rewarding, and fun when you make work about love. A wave and a smile can change an entire organization. Jesus modeled what it looked like to honor His Good Father with His work. He got a blue-collar job as a stone mason (carpenter) and used that to save the world! (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Questions to discuss:

1. Who in your “workplace” needs a friend?
2. In what ways can your love change the culture of your workplace?
3. What do you need to change to make your workplace all about love? (heart, attitude, perspective, habits, etc.)