This week’s episode of RealTalk is titled Real Business. In this episode, Dale and his longtime friend, Roy Reeves have a candid conversation about the real business environment people face every day and how you can successfully live out your faith in the business world as a follower of Christ.
Balancing.
Managing.
Responding.
Delivering.
Performing.
These are all adjectives people could use to describe their job and workplace.
But what if, instead of those adjectives,
we thought of our jobs and workplaces as an opportunity to
live out our faith as a person who gets up and goes to work every day?
The overall perspective begins in Genesis where Scripture says:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:26-28
Every follower of Christ has been given a place to manage and God’s commission, granted at creation, is to manage your part. Your job, career, or the business you own is one part of the earth where you are called to rule, have dominion, and manage in such a way that God is glorified.
This means, that for a Christ follower, our main goal is to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to our part of the earth.
Remember how Jesus instructed his disciples to pray?
This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10
God’s plan for advancing His Kingdom is to fill the earth with the culture of heaven. He wants to advance His Kingdom through you, and one of the most impactful and strategic places he determined where this is to happen, is in the workplace. After all, some spend more time there than any other place.
A Kingdom perspective would be to see yourself as an ambassador to your workplace with a specific goal - to advance His Kingdom. To do so means you will respond with Kingdom principles, not earthly principles (Roy and Dale gave several examples, so make sure you watch the video).
Managing your work, family, faith, career, calling, and business can be very difficult. We are not ignorant of the fact that some of you face extremely tough work environments with people that do not follow Christ. One way to keep a Kingdom perspective is found in Paul's letter to the Colossians.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
Colossians 3:23
Whether you find yourself in the best or the worst work situation, here are three ways to help you in Kingdom advancement as you work heartily for the Lord.
1. Live above daily circumstances with a divine perspective.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
You are where you are for a reason, a divine reason, so walk in the good works He has for you. As you do, remember, God most likely has something he wants to teach you along the way. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned and character to be constructed before you move on to your next divinely appointed place.
2. Lean into contentment.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12-13
One secret to contentment is to maintain a heart of gratitude. Be thankful for your job, your career, your paycheck, and your opportunities, it will help you lean into contentment. There is a supernatural shift that happens with gratitude - It really does have a way of changing your attitude.
3. Load up spiritually.
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger,
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
The financial principle of having more withdrawals than deposits ultimately leading to an unbalanced and bankrupt account is also true for your spiritual bank account. It’s why you have to load up spiritually. Everyone knows firsthand that work and work environments can take withdrawals from you. It’s easy to become personally bankrupt physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
You can’t live “hand to mouth” spiritually and hope to advance the Kingdom of Christ. You must continually and consistently spend time in God’s presence, in God’s Word, and with God’s people.
We believe that there is a calling from heaven for us to see our work environments
as divine appointments to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth
as we rule with Kingdom principles over our parts of the earth.
May God be glorified, in your life, in your workplace, job, or career, as you answer the prayer of Jesus - thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
If you missed this week's RealTalk video, you can find it by clicking below
Dale and Jena Forehand are the founders of Stained Glass Ministries a non-profit 501 C3 ministry. They offer conferences and resources to build real relationships.
To find out more about their amazing grace story of marriage, divorce, and re-marriage to one another visit their website www.daleandjena.com.
You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram at @daleandjena
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
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1 - HOW DO I VIEW MY JOB, WORKPLACE, AND/OR CAREER?
2 - WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR ME TO VIEW MY WORK-LIFE AS A DIVINE CALLING AND POSITION FROM HEAVEN?
3 - ARE THERE AREAS IN MY CAREER WHERE I CAN EASILY BRING ABOUT THE CULTURE OF HEAVEN?
We would love to hear how this topic and these questions are impacting your life. Please comment below with any thoughts, answers to our questions, or ask any follow-up questions to keep the conversation going.
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