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“Work is so foundational to our makeup that it is one of the few things we can take in significant doses without harm. Indeed, the Bible does not say we should work one day and rest six or that work and rest should be balanced evenly but directs us to the opposite ratio. Leisure and pleasure are great goods, but we can take only so much of them.” Tim Keller, Every Good EndeavorIn the beginning, God worked. The creation of supernovas, salamanders, and stingrays is described in Genesis as work (Genesis 2:1-3). God's work is creative, ongoing, and deeply satisfying (1:31). Human work, then, was not originally a form of punishment (as so often seems the case), but a part of paradise. We are made in the image of the Maker, and called to create and “fill the earth and subdue it” with a thriving human culture (1:28). As God's representatives, humans are charged with taking the natural world (2:15) and forming it for human flourishing.This biblical notion that work has inherent dignity is unique. The ancient Greeks thought work was a demeaning necessity. To become like the gods, humans were to withdraw from active life and contemplate ideas - better to leave the work to the slaves. Yet the Bible tells us when God became flesh, he chose to become a carpenter. For Christians, work has dignity because it is the means by which God provides and cares for our needs. God is the one quietly behind our work, providentially sustaining human life. In stark contrast to views of work as a necessary evil, the Bible views work as a gracious gift by which we serve our neighbour and show love for God.Yet work is not as it should be. Although work itself isn't under a curse, "thorns and thistles" grow up amidst our labours (Genesis 3:17), and our aspirations often become fruitless and frustrated. When the Teacher of Ecclesiastes realizes he will leave his estate to others who haven't earned it, he laments “I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). Our desire for lasting, meaningful work is often thwarted by sin, and our best efforts to build, create, and achieve often evaporate into thin air.Perhaps the thorniest effect of the Fall is to seek our identity by “making a name for ourselves,” (Genesis 11:2-4). The incessant attempt to prove our worth through work is “the work under the work" - the quest for self-justification through our accomplishments. Work can be both selfish and controlled by idols. But the gospel frees us from idols by giving us a new storyline for our work. For example, when Don Flow, owner of a car dealership, learned women and minorities were paying more for cars than white males with negotiating skills, he decided to set a flat rate on all cars. The gospel shaped his view of justice and profit was put in its proper place behind communal shalom. The gospel leads journalists to write stories of hope, artists to balance optimism with realism, and doctors to seek healing not only for flesh but lives as well. For many, work is the best place to carry out Jesus's command to "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).One of the great benefits of the gospel is a deep, abiding rest. Christ's work on the cross is finished, and no amount of work can add to the gift of eternal life. Keller writes: You are justified in God's sight, so you have nothing to prove. You have been saved through a dying sacrifice, so you are free to be a living one. You are loved ceaselessly, so you can work tirelessly in response to a quiet inner fullness. It is this deep rest infused by God's grace that led jazz legend John Coltrane into the most productive era of his career. In 1957, he asked God for the privilege of bringing joy to others through music. In the liner notes to his album A Love Supreme, he wrote in gratitude, "This album is a humble offering to Him. An attempt to say 'THANK YOU GOD' through our work. . . . May He help and strengthen men in every good endeavor."Session 1: CREATED TO WORK - Genesis 3:23 Talk About ItWhat is the best job you have ever had? What made it a great job? What kind of work do you do now? How did you get into it? What is your favorite part of your job? Why? Read About ItThe first three chapters of Genesis include three major eventsGod creates everything (Genesis 1)God makes a covenant with man (Genesis 2)Man breaks the covenant with God (“the fall”) (Genesis 3) Read Genesis 2:15-17. During which major event does God introduce the idea of work? What do you think is significant about when God introduces the concept of work to the world? How would God’s message to us be different if He had introduced the concept of work after the fall? Read Genesis 3:17-19. How is the concept of work affected by “the fall”? Read 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12. Here Paul talks about work in an interesting way. How would we summarize Paul’s view of work? Think About It As a group, define what healthy work looks like. Consider the Biblical model we’ve studied and some of your own positive work experiences. List some ways we can do our work in a healthy way: List some ways we ruin God’s design for work. Do you believe that God’s original intent for our work was for us to dread our jobs? Can you think of some unintended consequences of disliking something that God has made good? Share with one another a step you will take this week to begin changing your attitude toward your view of work. Session 2: NOT CREATED FOR SLAVERY – Exodus 1:13-14 Talk About It What is the worst job you have ever had? What made it bad? How many hours in a day do you think about work? Tell about a time when you were distracted by work after hours. Why is it easy to fall into that trap? Read About It While God didn’t intend for their work to feel like slavery, the people of Israel had a difficult work environment in Egypt (read Exodus 1:13-14). In what ways does our work feel like slavery today?What are some other ways that we can be “enslaved” in our lives? Read the following verses, Romans 6:17, Galatians 5:1, and 2 Peter 2:19. How is our work like some of their experiences? Read Exodus 20:8-11. What do you learn about the Sabbath by reviewing these verses? How have we gotten away from the value of keeping a Sabbath, Why do you believe this has happened? Think About It In Fried and Hansson’s book, Rework, they suggest four consequences of overworking: Stubbornness, lack of creativity, diminished morale, and irritability. Can you think of a time when overworking caused you to experience any of these? Why does this happen? How can you create better rest patterns to avoid these struggles? Most people fall into one of two extremes: either laziness, or workaholism, where our job feels like slavery. How do we find balance between these two? In Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller says, “Humanity was not created to work like slaves. When work becomes ruthless and bitter, we have poisoned the blessing of work.” What do you think about that statement? How can we restore blessing in our work? What is a boundary you can create this week to ensure that your job doesn’t become a form of slavery in your life? If the idea of a Sabbath is new to you, how might you practice observing the Sabbath this week? Session 3: A DIVINE MODEL OF WORK – Psalm 90:16-17 Talk About It Share about a time when you felt a genuine sense of accomplishment - maybe it was a project that went really well or a significant work related goal that you reached. Share about a time when someone you work with recognized you or affirmed something you did. What did they do to “pat you on the back” and why was that experience meaningful? Is there something that you are working on right now that you really are hoping succeeds? Why is that task so important to you? Read About It Read Psalm 37:3-4. Discuss how the “desires” of our heart align with God’s will for our lives? How does this passage help us understand the times when they line up and the times when they don’t? Read Psalm 90:16-17. Discuss what you believe “the favor of God” in verse 16 means. Can you think of any other biblical examples when people had God’s favor? Think About It Having God’s favor and following your desires depends on our ability to discern and obey God’s will. How can we be sensitive to hearing from God and following His leading in our lives? What are some things we can do to be sure our desires are aligned with God’s? Read the following quote from Tim Keller in Every Good Endeavor:...every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever.”If his comment is true, than every job that we do is important—share with your group how you feel about that statement. As well, if we believe our work is important, what is one thing you are doing that you need God to make “effective beyond your own ability”, like we read in our memory verse? Session 4: WORK EXPERTISE – Proverbs 22:29 Talk About ItCan you think of a colleague who is genuinely respected in your workplace? Why are they thought of so highly? Is there someone who is hard to respect in your workplace? Does he/she keep up his/her end of the bargain at work? Do you take initiative to improve your skills in your workplace, even if it is not required? Maybe you take classes or go to seminars? Share about something you have done to get better. Read About ItReview the parable of the talents found in Luke 19:12-27. Discuss how the qualities of expertise and willingness helped the servants earn the respect of the master. How does this story motivate you to get better at what you do? Another story that applies to this theme is found in Luke 7:1-10. What did the people around the centurion think about him? What can we learn from the influence he had among his peers? Think About It Is there an area of your work in which you’d like to improve? Share a goal to improve with your group. Read 2 Corinthians 9:8. What is God’s promise to us in these verses? Share how you feel about your work goals in light of what this verse promises. How does it glorify God for us to do our best and improve our skills? Session 5: EVIL WORK – Micah 2:1 Talk About ItDo you think God cares what our job is as long as we do them well? Why or why not? Should a Christian be free to work for any company? Why or why not? Try to list some jobs that, by their nature, we should consider “evil”. Read About It Read Nehemiah 5:6-12. What is the charge that Nehemiah is making against the business leaders? Why would Nehemiah consider their work “evil”? Read Nehemiah 5:14-19. How does Nehemiah’s leadership differ from the corrupt businessmen he rebuked in the previous verses? Micah 6:8 gives us insight into the qualities that God really desires for us. Read that verse and discuss what does doing good, loving justice and walking humbly with God look like in our work. Try to list some people in the Bible who worked for evil leaders but God still blessed them as workers. Why do you think leaders like Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel they were still blessed? Think About ItWhat one quality from Micah 6:8 can we incorporate into our professional lives? How might our work look differently when we make this verse part of our work lives? List some ways we can expel the evil from our work and introduce more integrity, love and servanthood in what we do. How might you counsel someone who felt that where they worked is in conflict with his/her Christian values? What advice might you give, based on what you’ve learned in today’s discussion? Session 6: DIVINE WORK – John 4:34 Talk About ItTell us about the last time you were really hungry. How did that affect your mind and body? What is one thing in the last year that you have felt “on a mission” to finish? What motivated you to finish it? Why do you think we have no motivation to do certain jobs even though we know they are important? Share about a time when you were in that situation. What are some differences between a job and a calling? Can you give examples of both? Read About ItRead Judges 14:1-3. Samson was gifted by God to lead the people of Israel, but he ended up living for other purposes. What are some mistakes that Samson made in this passage that took him off course? Scan through Judges 15 and 16. Where does Samson’s path lead him? In what ways did Samson fail? In what ways did he succeed? How does this story show the grace of God in our mistakes? List some ways the devil tried to tempt Jesus to go off course in His mission. What made Jesus so successful in accomplishing His mission from God? Read John 4:31-34. What can we learn from Jesus’ metaphor that His food is to accomplish the work of God? Think About It Do you think God has a calling for everyone? Why or why not? In Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller suggests that our calling is the place where our abilities, aptitudes and opportunities meet. How could this idea help us to find our calling? How can I determine God’s call on my life? Share with your group some steps that you might take to better understand what God’s calling really is and how we can better live out our calling in our careers. Session 7: PRIDE IN WORK – Romans 15:15-17 Talk About ItTell about a really great party or celebration you have been to. What made it so great? What is one accomplishment you are proud of? What about that experience makes you proud? Do you think pride can ever be a good thing? Why or why not? Read About ItRead Romans 15:15-17. Does it seem like a contradiction to you that the Bible warns us about the dangers of pride and but the Paul says he has good reason to be proud? Why do you think Paul was proud of his work? We have all been around people who are “proud” in an arrogant way. What makes Paul’s pride different and acceptable in this passage? What is the connection between Paul’s pride and his fulfillment of his calling? Think About It Being proud of what we do isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When do we cross the line into unhealthy pride in our work? What are the red flags that tell us we are going too far? What can we do in the upcoming week to evaluate our sense of pride? Why is it important to be affirmed in our work and to affirm others in theirs? Are there times when you have sensed God’s affirmation of your work? List some ways we can better affirm our co-workers this week. ................
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