In the past three weeks, we’ve talked about The Cultural Mandate from Genesis 1:28 to subdue and cultivate the earth in order to bring flourishing to all people; The Great Commandment to love God and love others; and finally, The Great Commission to teach others everything that we’ve been taught about Jesus. 

But how do we hold three of these at once? And how do they play out in the marketplace? How about in the workplaces of America?

 Let me draw an ugly picture first – the picture of what it looks like when we live out of balance. If you look at Wall Street or corporate culture or political behavior, most of what they do is in obedience to The Cultural Mandate. They are indeed subduing the earth! But, and this is a big “but,” they do so in ignorance of The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. What do you get when you teach believers to live out The Cultural Mandate but ignore The Great Commandment and Great Commission? 

You get the world as we know it today. 

A lot of people make a lot of money and keep it all for themselves. But God’s intention for business, and really for any job, was for flourishing to happen, for loving to happen, and for people to find out about Jesus naturally. When we take just one of the directions from God and ignore the others, things fall apart and what we end up with is a culture that is ignorant of Jesus, ignorant of God, self-centered, and falling apart. 

However, when you combine The Cultural Mandate with The Great Commandment in The Great Commission, you will see a nation humbled before God, with love flowing to all of our neighbors, flourishing in every neighborhood, and with millions hearing about Jesus because of Christ-followers living out their faith at work. Talk about an ideal world! Sign me up today!

If your work doesn’t reflect The Cultural Mandate, Great Commandment, and Great Commission all combined into one, maybe it’s time to re-dedicate your life to the mission that you’ve been given the mission of following Jesus in your work! iWork4Him is dedicated to helping equip you to do just that. A great place to start? The iWork4Him Covenant.

- Jim