Malyon Workplace

The Gospel at Work ? How do I handle difficult bosses and co-workers? (Chapter 7)

The Gospel at WorkIt would be hard to imagine any worker who has not been confronted with the issue of a difficult boss or a challenging co-worker. ?No wonder the authors?of?The Gospel at Work?(TGaW) devote a chapter to this pervasive workplace issue.

I once had a boss (in a parachurch organisation) who would regularly say, “It’s the people things that kill.”??We can write reports, hammer nails, iron shirts, analyse spreadsheets, design solutions all day. ?But often the greatest stressor in the workplace is the people we work with or for – they just don’t seem to see the world the way we do!

So it is just a little jarring when two paragraphs into Chapter 7, Traeger and GIlbert ?observe that,?‘The difficulty we?perceive?with our?co-workers?or bosses or employees?often?doesn’t have as much to do with them as it does with us.” [Read more…] about The Gospel at Work ? How do I handle difficult bosses and co-workers? (Chapter 7)

The Gospel at Work ? How do I balance work, church and family? (Chapter 6)

The Gospel at WorkThe next practical issue that the authors of?The Gospel at Work?(TGaW) turn to is what is often called work-life balance.? ?How do you remain fruitful and faithful at work when you also need to be fruitful and faithful as a spouse, parent, neighbor, and church member?? How do you do it all in the mere 168 hours that comprise a week?? ask the authors.

Well, the first step suggested is to realise that our one and only first responsibility is discipleship to Jesus (Matt 6:33, Col 3:23).? All our other responsibilities are sub-ordinate to being a disciple of Jesus.? When we realise this, life is not a juggling act with competing demands on our time and energy but rather we see following Jesus as our, ?? primary, overarching, undergirding assignment ? [that] will last long after every other assignment is complete.? [Read more…] about The Gospel at Work ? How do I balance work, church and family? (Chapter 6)

The Gospel at Work ? How should I choose a job? (Chapter 5)

The Gospel at WorkHaving provided a clear biblical framework for how we should think about work, the authors of?The Gospel at Work?(TGaW) turn to important practical issues that face the Christian wanting to see the Lordship of Christ expressed in every aspect of their lives including their work.

In Chapter 5, the issue of choosing a job is the focus. Firstly, it is acknowledged that the whole idea of job choice is a modern Western concept as a result of specialisation, mobility and education. ? [Read more…] about The Gospel at Work ? How should I choose a job? (Chapter 5)

The Gospel at Work – the King’s purposes in our work (Chapter 4)

The Gospel at WorkAcknowledging that we are working for the King is one thing but the question remains, “What is the purpose of our work?

Chapter 4 of?The Gospel at Work?(TGaW) explores multiple biblical perspectives with six motivations/purposes suggested:

  1. Work to love God: This is in obedience to loving God with all our heart, soul and mind (Matt 22:37, Ephesians 6:5-7). ?Whole-hearted work should be a mark of the follower of Jesus. [Read more…] about The Gospel at Work – the King’s purposes in our work (Chapter 4)

The Gospel at Work – the Gospel in the Workplace (Chapter 3)

The Gospel at WorkChapter 3 of?The Gospel at Work?(TGaW) explores the way the gospel should frame our approach to work. If, as Tim Keller says, ‘The Gospel changes everything’, how exactly does the gospel impact the workplace??

So, the TGaW asks this question: ‘In a world where most?people?think of their jobs as necessary evil or as a source of their?identity and fulfilment, what is it that uniquely brings meaning and purpose to their jobs as Christians?’

Great question!? [Read more…] about The Gospel at Work – the Gospel in the Workplace (Chapter 3)

The Gospel at Work – Idleness in Work

The Gospel at WorkChapter 2 of The Gospel at Work explores the second way that we can experience work (having explored work as an idol in Chapter 1)

Whereas idolatry is an over-identification with work, idleness is an under-identification with our work: We care too little about it and find ourselves being idle in our work.?

Here’s a few ways that we can fail to recognise God’s purposes in our work, e.g.

  • We see Christian work as what we do at church
  • We regard work as a necessary evil to endure so we can support the work of the church?
  • We regard ordinary work is not our true calling
  • We work to live not live to work – work gets in the way of real life

The Gospel at Work – The Idolatry of Work (Chapter 1)

The Gospel at WorkThe key idea that underpins The Gospel at Work is that there are two false ways for a Christian to treat their work – they can treat it as an idol or they can be idle. ?Neither of these approaches reflects that it means to work for King Jesus:

Our work can become the primary object of our passions, our energy, and our love. We end up worshipping our job.?On the other hand, we can slip into being idle in our work. ?When we fail to see God’s purposes in our work, we don’t really care much about it. ?We fail to give and attention to it, or despise it and generally neglect our?responsibility?to serve as if we were serving the Lord. Unfortunately,?idleness?in work and?idolatry?of work are both celebrated in our society … [they?are both ] deadly?misunderstandings?of how God wants us to think about our jobs. [From the opening section, The Challenge]