Your daily work matters because it reveals God’s Kingdom to the world! We have seen in previous issues that our work is an expression of God’s original commission and that our work is a calling from Him. Now consider these verses and their implications for your daily work: 

But thanks be to God, who … uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14, NIV).

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20).

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough (Matthew 13:33).

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11).

These verses together show that Jesus came to establish and demonstrate His Kingdom, a new way of living and serving in the world. His Kingdom is a place where everything is being restored to the way things ought to be. It is a Kingdom of restored relationships, justice, beauty, and order. It is a place of safety and security, and where work is meaningful and rewarding. He chooses to spread His Kingdom through ordinary people doing their work for His glory! If this is true, how do we do this?

Our work reveals God’s Kingdom as we represent the King.

God uses us to spread the “aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” Does ‘everywhere’ include the place we work on a daily basis? Certainly! You are “Christ’s ambassadors” where you live and where you work. You represent Him in your “ordinary” leadership decisions—keeping your word, treating people respectfully, finishing the job with excellence, and caring for the people with whom you work.

Some leaders work to promote their own kingdom and agenda. But serving leaders see their work as visible revelation of the Kingdom of Jesus.

Our work reveals God’s Kingdom as we weed out what does not belong.

Our work can be a way to “expose the fruitless deeds of darkness” and root out what does not belong in the territory of the Kingdom. Your daily work may call out injustice, expose corruption or abuse, reveal inequality, refuse dishonest practices, or simply pick up the trash in a messy environment. You may confront unethical reporting or correct a misleading metric. Each action removes what does not belong and is a step towards revealing God’s Kingdom.  

Some leaders weed out only what does not increase profit with little thought to integrity. But serving leaders are willing to pay the price of exposing and removing anything that does not belong to the Kingdom of God.

Our work reveals God’s Kingdom as we plant what belongs. 

God’s Kingdom is revealed as we do what is right in every context. It is revealed as we treat workers as significant people, as we pay people fair wages, as we show concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of our team, and as we take care of the environment. Writers and musicians bring beauty to the world through art and songs; civic leaders promote laws and policies that promote justice and peace. These actions may seem small, but like yeast, they gradually influence everything around them. First one person, then another, then the community and beyond.

Some leaders plant what will produce profit. But serving leaders plant what belongs. Every serving leadership act is a revelation of a new Kingdom and reveals a bit of heaven’s glory on earth.   

For further reflection and discussion:

How does the reality that God entrusts me to be an ambassador for Him and to represent His Kingdom in my workplace impact my leadership?    Are there ways I have demonstrated that in the past week?    What will I do in the next week to better live out my calling to be His ambassador?

In what way does my work root out what does not belong in the world?   Are there additional ways I might be called to root out or expose injustice, discrimination, disorder, or disunity?

Reflect on ways that your work reveals the world as it should be by answering the following questions:

How does the way I treat people in my work reflect the Kingdom?

How does our service or product make the world a better place?  

How do we show respect for our environment?

How does our work promote peace and justice?

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll look at how our work impacts eternity.

*Many of the thoughts in this series come from Jordan Raynor’s book “The Sacredness of Secular Work,” which I highly recommend.

Jesus invested time and energy to instill His values in the lives of His disciples. His first formal teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, begins with a list of values:

He said: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3-10, NIV.)

Jesus begins His teaching, not with commandments for living but with values to practice. He wanted the values of His followers to align with His. His example guides serving leaders to clearly establish the values of the organization in ways that produce flourishing.

Values alignment brings flourishing by guiding actions.

The values Jesus described were not just great theories, they were meant to guide actions in daily life. He was focused on shaping behavior. Every organization chooses what actions are accepted and important. When done with intentionality and careful thought as Jesus did, this produces alignment and flourishing. Everyone understands what actions are expected and which ones are not.

Some leaders assume that people will find a good way to live and act while they are together without additional direction from the leader. But serving leaders carefully communicate the values in ways that guide the actions of those they serve.

Values alignment brings flourishing by setting standards.

The explicit list of values Jesus shared with His disciples set the standard for how they were to live. His values made it clear what behaviors were acceptable and at the same time clarified what behaviors were not acceptable. On several occasions He corrected them when their values did not represent His kingdom. He understood that values set the standard and everyone needed to be held accountable to live by the standard.  He brought alignment by clearly setting the standards and holding everyone accountable to them. He understood that what leaders tolerate teaches values faster than what they articulate.

Some leaders expect that a list of values on the wall is sufficient to set the standard. But serving leaders talk about the values often and hold themselves and everyone else accountable to keep the standards that have been set.  They work deliberately to get the values off the walls and into the hearts of their people.  

Values alignment brings flourishing by shaping culture.

It was the expectation of Jesus that His followers would live out a new way of living and in time develop a new culture that reflected His priorities. Likewise, an organization that clarifies and lives out the values of the organization will develop a culture shaped by those values. Culture becomes powerful when everyone involved can say, “This is the way we do things here.” This becomes the foundation of a flourishing organization.

Some leaders allow their organizational culture to be shaped without intention. But serving leaders leverage the power of values to shape a healthy culture in which people flourish and the organization thrives.

For further reflection and discussion:

Reflect on your own leadership journey in relation to how clearly you have aligned values in your organization. On a scale of 1-10 (10 is perfect) how would you rate your own leadership in this area? What has been the result in your leadership?

In my organization are values expressed by default or by design? What can I do this week to more intentionally talk about the values which are important to my organization?

Is there someone I know on my team that is violating one of our values? What will I do to address this issue?   

Do those I lead understand our values well enough to articulate them and help hold each other accountable? What can I do to strengthen this element of our organization?

In addition to the scripture used in this issue, reflect on the following verses from the life of Jesus:  Matthew 26:51-52; Mark 10:41-45; Luke 9:51-55, 10:17-20, 22:24-27; John 13:1-17. What additional insights do you find?              

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll look at the next element of a flourishing culture: Mission Focus

In the previous issue we looked at how serving leaders surrender money, seeing themselves as stewards of the financial resources entrusted to them. The second principle that guides serving leaders in relation to money is focused on how they get, or secure, money. Serving leaders recognize that without money, they cannot accomplish their mission. They recognize that their stewardship involves a responsibility to think carefully about how their money is obtained. Serving leaders secure money to serve others. This includes the organization, the people on their team, clients, vendors, and their community. As they think about getting money, they consider verses like these:

These verses, and others, indicate that there are correct and incorrect ways to get money and establish guidelines for how serving leaders secure money.

Serving leaders secure money by working well.  

“All hard work brings a profit….” Serving leaders are not afraid of hard work! They are willing to give the time and effort that is needed to earn money.  

Some leaders use their role to get out of work, believing that leadership is getting others to do the work. But serving leaders understand that they lead well by working well. They set an example to others with their commitment to work hard. They think and make financial plans and decisions that require hard work to accomplish. They work to establish financial integrity in their organization with appropriate safeguards for those involved in handling money.  Then they serve by getting busy and working hard!

Serving leaders secure money by balancing well.

Serving leaders work hard but they also have “the wisdom to show restraint.” Some leaders never stop working in their pursuit to get money. But serving leaders recognize that the connection between hard work and profit can quickly lead to an imbalanced life so they learn how to show restraint. They find ways to say “enough” and when it is time to stop they leave the office and turn off the cell phone or computer. This allows them to spend time with their family, engage in other activities including their own need for exercise and sleep. Because they see themselves as stewards they take diligent care of the money under their control, but they don’t allow the money to control them and they understand when it’s time to stop work!

Serving leaders secure money by treating well.

Serving leaders serve their organizations by treating the persons in the organization well. Many leaders see workers simply as bodies for production and are not concerned about their personal lives. But serving leaders value those who work with them and refuse to make money at their expense. They seek to pay wages that are as generous as possible while also safeguarding the financial integrity of the organization. Serving leaders understand that treating people well actually benefits the profitability of the organization by increasing employee engagement and productivity.

For further reflection and discussion:

• Is my life a good example of hard work? In what way does this impact my leadership?
• Have I established appropriate financial safeguards in my organization to protect myself and others from temptation and to encourage integrity in finances? If not, what do I need to do?
• In what ways am I tempted to work too much? How does this impact my relationships with family, friends and my own health and wellbeing? What do I need to change this week to begin to show restraint?
• How well do I treat people under my leadership? Am I as generous towards them as possible? Where I am not able to provide more financial benefit to them, do I look for other ways to honor them as people and see that they are well treated?
• Consider these additional verses related to finances and stewardship:  Proverbs 1:19, 6:10-11, 13:11; Luke 14:28, 16:9-11; James 5:4; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 10, 12. What more do you learn about how you interact with money as a serving leader?

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

In the next issue, we’ll examine how serving leaders share money.