LifeTalk Podcast
LifeTalk is the official podcast of LifeHouse Church MOT. Our heart for this podcast is to help our church grow and to go deeper here at LifeHouse. We’ll be interviewing staff members & hearing their testimonies. We’ll be discussing various topics such as parenting, marriage, day-to-day functions of the ministry and so much more from a biblical perspective. Our goal is to help equip our church to glorify JESUS in every area of life.
LifeTalk Podcast
From Genesis To Your 9–5: Redeeming How We Work
What if your job—loved or loathed—could become worship? We pull back the curtain on a bigger, better story of work, starting with Genesis 2 where God places humanity in the garden “to work and keep” it. Before the fall, work is a gift; after the fall, it’s harder; through Christ, it’s redeemed. That shift reframes how we see our careers, chores, parenting, and church service. We talk about telling a truer story over our work so our attitude, effort, and integrity reflect God’s character rather than our fluctuating feelings.
Cody Hall joins us to trace a path away from two traps: work-as-identity and work-avoidance. If your worth rides the waves of promotion and performance, time and fear will betray the idol beneath the surface. If apathy has you doing the bare minimum, love for neighbor calls you higher. We dive into practical diagnostics—follow your hours, inventory your anxieties—and a gospel remedy: rest your identity in Christ so you can labor with freedom. That means you can be promoted without pride, laid off without despair, and steady in the ordinary tasks that keep your world running.
We also get honest about the home as our first field of labor. Paychecks don’t replace presence. We share simple practices for starting the “second shift” at the front door—prayer for strength, undistracted attention, small acts of service that say “I see you.” From pushing carts to leading teams, from engineering safer streets to sweeping hallways, every task can love your neighbor and honor God when done with excellence and joy. And beyond personal vocation, we aim our energy at the body of Christ, building up the church by the Spirit as we wait with hope. Listen in, reimagine your daily work, and take one step toward worship-filled labor today. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review—what’s the first change you’ll make this week?
New episodes every Monday
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Intro music by Joey Blair
It's a retro episode. So it's good to be back. But Nate, what's up, man? You doing all right? Man, it's on the podcast. So it's a great day. Always a good day when there's Mike in front of us, right? That's right. And then we also have Cody Hall, one of our elders, uh, one of my one of my best friends. Glad to glad to be here, bro. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It's such a blessing. Been here before.
SPEAKER_03:And it's the second, third. You know, we got to keep the elder. We got like a scoreboard in our office for uh who's been here the most. Mitch and Jason or Leadon. We got to get you on here. Yeah, I gotta step up and start.
SPEAKER_01:No, this is my second. Second? Oh, really? Yeah. Are you sure? I'm sure. Man. All right. You're thinking back to our old old days.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, yeah. That was us. Yeah. We used to have a podcast back in the day. Yeah. That was old, old days. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right. Well, Cody, you got to make some more time for us. We got to make some more for all. For sure. I enjoy it.
SPEAKER_01:It's a blessing.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And so we've been in uh as you guys know, uh, and then as the listeners really haven't have seen and known, um, that we've been in a faith with different right throughout the year, just we're working through different topics. And uh last month we covered we hope, right? And we talked, uh, me and Nate sat down and just talked about what it means to hope in the Lord and and whatnot. And then this week we're gonna walk through We Work, right? And Cody uh preached and uh just really got to talk through what it means to to work, right, in a way that honors God and in all different areas of your life. And so um, yeah, we're glad that you're on and we're we're excited to kind of talk a little bit more about what that looks like uh in this in this lens.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and so new month, new topic. It's always exciting, and yeah, so especially we work, you know, we're kind of close to the end of the year, but really an important topic, you know. We were talking a little bit before we jumped on the mics, how there's so many misconceptions of work and what it really means in the Bible. So just yeah, reflecting on the sermon, uh, maybe kind of share your heart, you know, as you kind of thought about work biblically and you know, really what you want people to know in and kind of bringing a lot of your points together.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, as I was preparing, it was hard for me to really focus in because we know that God works in manifold ways. There are so many ways in which God works on our be our behalf, our benefit as the children of God. And so I wanted to honor this topic and honor Him in preaching on it. And so I covered a wide array of things, and uh it really begins with the work that God has done through Christ for us, and and in light of that, then how does that stir our affection, change our hearts, change our desires, and and recognizing that work was a gift given to us by God before the fall? It was something God has always been working, right? Jesus says that my Father is always working, and I am working. Um and so thinking how that then applies to our lives, I wanted to give uh a wide net to catch all of our work and kind of touch on each aspect from the work that we do in our personal walk with Christ and the way that we desire after God and pursue God through studying his word, through praying to him, through listening to him, and and then how that spills out into the home. And the work that we do in the home is of first importance, and how we, as our heart is brought into order, it then begins to order our home rightly. And and that's desperately needed in a world that's plagued with brokenness, fatherlessness, on and on. And then from there, how our work then spills out into the field of labor, the vocational field, where we are all so uniquely gifted by God, and we're to use those gifts for first and foremost, God's glory to honor Him in the way that we worked with the integrity, with the honesty, with the vigilance of our work. But then also how our work is to love our neighbor, it's to serve our neighbor and their needs. And I think that when you tell yourself the right story, I talked about it in the sermon, the story you tell yourself about your work will determine how you approach your work, it'll determine your attitude in your work. And then from there, you know, the greatest work that we have in this life is that of building up the body of Christ. And God has given us his church, and we are to labor well for the purification and the beauty of the church of Christ. And we labor in that uh by the Spirit as we await his coming. So that's where I went, and yeah, it was it was a blessed time of preparation for me, and I I pray that it it served the congregation well.
SPEAKER_03:And a whole lot to unpack there, you know. I think good summary for sure, but maybe just even start with the Genesis 2 concept. I think a lot of people miss that biblically, that work was before the fall. Like we are created to work, you know, there are implications of the fall, but too many people are like, well, I only work because of, and I think that can be a misconception probably of what heaven's gonna be like, everybody thinks it's gonna be like laying on a beach, you know, kind of thing. But maybe kind of through your study, you know, how we biblically how does that change things how as believers and and what we understand about our creator and us as the creation?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think that it's one of those things that when you really begin to understand the the verbs there to work and to keep, that's Genesis 2, 15, where the Lord takes the man, puts him in the garden, and tells him to work and keep the garden. And and those two words are used later in discussing the the work of the priests in the tabernacle and how they are to work and keep the tabernacle. And uh that that connection there gives us the the important foundation for our work as worship. So it it absolutely was before the fall. God didn't give us work as a punishment, right? We we look at Genesis 3 and we see that work certainly was affected in the fall, it was cursed. The ground now works against us, thorns and thistles rise up from the ground, but work was a mandate before the fall, and it was a mandate because we were created in God's image, and so being made in the image of God and knowing that our God worked to make creation, it was on the seventh day that he rested, but he was working during those six days to bring about all creation, and therefore, as our creator, we owe everything to him. He made everything, and he made it and it was good. And he made us then in his image to be stewards of that good creation. And so that is uh is not taken away in the fall, it is made more difficult. But the mandate still is on us to work. God assumes in the curse that we will work, it will just be more difficult for us, but yet in Christ, in his coming, in his redemption, now we begin to joyfully work again as unto the Lord. Now we work for something eternal. And and so just as the Father is always working even to now to uphold the universe by the power of his word, so we now in all of our days are spent working for his sake.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and a lot of good things, I think, too, from being just reminded, God's a God of order, not chaos. I mean, every all the creation, like you talked about, was bringing order from creation. I mean, it was obviously from nothing, but then ordering that. And you know, sin works against it, but we should approach our work the same way. Whatever you do, because some people think like, oh, I just work at a restaurant or maybe I just drive, you know, yeah, I don't diminish any job. You should be bringing order in in the work that you do. And I was kind of taught young, leave it better than you found it, right? You know, no matter what you do, whatever job you have that you come into, improve it. Do something to make it better. And especially as believers, I would say, you know, kind of what you're talking about, we should be bringing that order from chaos as image bearers. That's what we're created to do, and viewing our work that way. Like I was in engineering for a long time. I'm trying to get people home faster, you know, more efficient transportation systems, safer, you know. What are we doing to improve the creation? But like you said, sin fights against that, and we can get kind of demoralized about it, I think.
SPEAKER_02:Right. But yeah, I I think too, like thinking of that and just the aspect of work and just how I think often people feel that way because of the way that work feels, right? Like the way when you walk through work, especially a job that you don't I I think I'm I'm thinking vocation specifically. I I think right now, um, I think it's hard to feel like, man, this is able to be done to the glory of God because I hate what I do. Right. It's not the thing that I am passionate about or X, Y, and Z. Um, but I think in even in spite of that, I think the the goal is, and what I think of first Corinthians 10, first Corinthians 10 31, right? Whatever you do. Right. And then Paul says, What whether you eat or whether you drink, but whatever you do, being whether you work or whether you sit or whether you stand or whatever the thing is, do it all to the glory of God, right? And that's I think the same kind of concept that you're that you're pointing out is man, whatever we do, and that you listed many, right? All of those things in which we do are to be done to the glory of God. And so, man, you might, yeah, like you might push cards at Target and you might hate it, but man, leave it better than you found it and do that work to the glory of God. Or you might be a top-notch CEO, right? Where you get to have the perfect job that you feel like is is the best. Like do that to the glory of God as well. And I think they each come with their own struggle, but I think it's hard to rightly see work when we don't rightly like our work. You know what I mean? Like, does that make sense?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, for sure. I think I'm someone who says that all of our problems are inherently theological problems. Yeah. And so I think the more that we have a good understanding of God and his nature, then that gives us the understanding necessary to uh steward well the things that he's given to us. They're all his creation. And so, like we said, work is his creation, therefore he has a purpose for work in our lives. And so as we look at God and his omnipotence and his sovereignty and his wisdom, then yeah, our our pushing carts at the grocery store is not meaningless. Yeah, that is used as a means of serving our neighbor. It's an important work, it's not a meaningless work. Just because it's menial to you, it doesn't mean that it's meaningless to God.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And it's it's used in a way that can glorify God. If someone does that in a way that is joyful, in a way that is uh purposely loving, then how can God not be glorified in something like that? Yeah. And so I think where we fall into temptation to sin is when we become the determiners of what is important in God's eyes, and we say, well, because I'm not doing this big thing, this really important thing in my eyes, yeah, therefore it doesn't have value.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:But First Corinthians 15 says that all of our labor in the Lord is not in vain. That's right. Therefore, that touches the broad spectrum, the universal spectrum of work, that all of it matters to the Lord and can be used to accomplish his purposes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, I I remember being in those situations, right? Like, yeah, I mean, just the aspect of working jobs that I didn't necessarily want to work, but I didn't necessarily even like working in them, right? But they were jobs that I was I had at the moment, right? And that was gonna be the goal. Was like, man, whatever I do, I'm gonna do it in a way that loves the people around me, and I'm gonna do it in a way that's excellent so that when people see the me, they see a reflection of our excellent God, right? And just how he is perfect in all of his ways. And so I'm gonna strive to to glorify him in those areas. And it it I did bound, like I did struggle with that concept of like, man, what I feel called to do, I'm not doing right now. Right. So I got to figure out what that means and what that looks like, right? I mean, I I can think of so many times me and you, Cody, just sat and like, dude, I hate this, but like this is the benefit, right? That like, yeah, I'm delivering Amazon packages and I'm like working in in snow and cold, and I don't like that, but like, man, what what do I how do I get to do that in a way that brings glory to God? And I think a lot of our young adults, uh dealing with young adults and Cody who serve in our ministry, like are in that same season. And I think not just young adults, but I think a lot of people, yeah, they just do things because they have to pay the bill or they have to uh you know funnel in some way that this work. And uh I think their perspective is different. I think it's a perspective shift of like, man, I'm not I'm not seeing this as a burden, but as a blessing. And that man, as I get to do this, I'm gonna do it to the best of my ability, right? Knowing that God has desired that for me, but also for his glory.
SPEAKER_03:That's right. So I think those experiences are super valuable too. We're in a yeah, adolescence and things is like kind of delaying work in a lot of our society, you know, not to get tangential, but I say kind of backing up what you were saying. Like I've been a janitor, I've waited tables, I've worked as a you know, concession stand, you know, I've been a construction worker. I value those experiences because I value those jobs now because I've done them. And like doing that work provides a lot of perspective, you know, that there is nothing you're above and there's value to we need all those things. So super important.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and we look to Christ as the example, right? Yeah, Christ is the king of the universe, and he humbled himself and came in the form of a servant. Yeah. And therefore, it dishonors God when we're not willing to go low.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:When we think that we deserve more, should have more, are worth more, then that dishonors God as the giver of all good things. Yeah. Um, and so yeah, I think back sometimes of the previous jobs I had before I was saved, and I I kind of long to redeem those things. I'm like, man, if Kmart was still open, I'd get a job there and I would work like no one worked before. It's old school right there. Yeah. Unfortunately, they're all gone. I outlasted them. So um yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and and listen, I remember like I remember, I mean, think you mentioned janitor. I mean, I remember being on staff here at Lifehouse as the I think I was a facilities assistant, was my title. And just the countless months of man, this sucks. Like, this is not what I I have great, I had great bosses. I it wasn't the people, it was the the work, right? I I am in essence had this idea that I was quote unquote worth more. I should have been doing more. I I was able, I should have had more responsibility, whatever the thing was, right? That was kind of guarding my uh or changing my perspective. Um, I remember that that feeling, right? But as you said, Nate, like, man, one, God met me there and changed my perspective that will last me until I die, right? Like, really, like just the aspect of contentment in in the Lord. And if I can't be content in this, I'll never be content in anything that I do. He gave me that there, right? And they were, but I think uh, and you you mentioned Nate is like the the refining periods of each job that like as we walk into each thing, it might be the best thing we walk into or the worst thing we walk into work-wise, and but we get to do it knowing that it's refining us right for the the the next moment, right? Like for me, that janitor custodian job that then refined me in a place that I was able to move into connections, but I was able to then be able to handle taking on a different role, uh, one with more responsibility and more uh you know different areas. And then even now into young adults is like I if I didn't do that and God didn't meet me in that place and shift my perspective and my heart to solely focus on Him in light of whatever work I did, then I would never be able to do what I do now. But like without that, that's not possible. It's just God.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. And I always say the providence of God is best read backwards because we get to look back, and each of those things was crucially important in heart formation. Yeah, the Lord used each of those things, and at the time, yeah, they were difficult to walk through. We probably felt like we were dreaming of the next thing, but there is an importance to every aspect of your life, every moment of your life. God works in the ordinary, right? And so I think where we run into trouble is when our vocation becomes attached to our identity. Yeah. And I talked about this a little bit in the sermon, but um, I think it's worth bearing out here that you know our attachment of our identity to our vocation is a dangerous game. Yeah, because when you are doing well and succeeding, it becomes drunk and or you become drunk with success. Yeah. And and that's a uh a disastrous thing for yourself personally, it's a disastrous thing for families. We've seen how workaholism can destroy families, um, it can neglect the family. Um and and as you succeed, it either puffs you up with pride, but when you fail, it drives you to the lowest of despairs. And and likewise, when you make too little of your vocation then, and you become sort of lazy, indifferent, apathetic, then you dishonor God by refusing to participate in the way that He has designed you, um, in the work that He's given to you. You're basically neglecting Him, saying, No good, or no thanks, God, I'm good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. I think you do a good job really laying out the extremes, you know, each side of how we should faithfully look at it. So maybe unpacking, you know, we certainly it's kind of interesting we've gone from a culture that was very elevating work, which is still out there, like you said, to where kind of sliding to where, you know, through the worth work-life balance thing and we're making very little of it, but maybe start with, like you said, when good things become ultimate things, when our work becomes our identity and above God, maybe talk a little bit more through the dangers. How do you recognize if that's happening? You know, people may be kind of focused in that, have family members. How should we kind of deal with that a little bit?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think one of the best ways that we can identify idols in our own hearts is to two avenues. One to follow our time. Where are we putting our time? Um, and I I I talked about it, you know, I I'm always astounded at so-called Christians giving God two percent of their time. And they give so much of themselves to so many other things. Well, that's just me throwing a number out there. There's no there's no science bes behind that number.
SPEAKER_03:Um, but that's just I didn't know if you'd done it like seven days a week. On average, you're awake like 16, 17 hours, so there's a hundred and something hours, maybe you spend an hour or two in church. I didn't know if you had a good uh, but it's about right. You know, we we'll tithe our money, but and I was that way for a long time. Like, oh yeah, Lord, I'll put 10% in the offer, but don't ask me to do anything other than Sunday morning. So sorry, I mean yeah, or even that.
SPEAKER_01:Don't ask me to give 10.2%. It's we we are unfortunately minimalists at times um when really I think that if you have truly tasted and seen the glory of God, yeah, then your heart can't help but want more of him. And you know, we're we're creatures of desire and we pursue the things that we love. And so I think how we see that play out with vocation and work is that uh, like I said, you follow the where you're investing your time, you'll find the idol there. And often for a someone who is a workaholic, they will spend exorbitant amounts of time um to advance so uh in their career, uh, to gain promotion, to they'll job hop from this to that, just seeking for more and advancement, promotion, none of it's inherently bad. Yeah, but it's when the desires of your heart are after that thing that you have now found an idol. And also another way to find one of your idols is through your fears. What do you fear? Do you fear not being enough? Do you fear that you're not contributing enough? Do you fear that people will think less of you based on what you do? That is a good way to find an idol in your heart, um, is to follow your fears and see, you know, is my worth, my value attached to what I do instead of who I am in Christ. Because when when your identity is wrapped up in Christ, if you are found in Christ, then you are grounded and found in something that is eternal and unchanging and immovable. And so therefore, you're not tossed to and fro by the the winds of change, by the waves of trial, or any of that. You are fixed in Christ, and therefore you can endure all things. You can be promoted well and do it to the glory of God, or you can be laid off well and you can put your hope in God, knowing that He has always provided for you and He will continue to provide. And so I think uh it's important for each of us really to uh not just pat ourselves on the back for not being workaholics, but also to consider are we working in a way that honors God? Are we working heartily as unto the Lord, or are we just doing enough just to get by? And uh yeah, I think the the story you tell yourself again will frame the way that you approach vocation.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's really good. I think ways to examine your heart and you know, really see is this becoming an idol? Am I becoming a workaholic? I certainly came from a family that work was kind of everything. My dad ran his own business and you know, a lot of other things. And so, and even after they divorced, then my mom had to work to so it was like you gotta work, you know, and it became really an elevated thing that we had to work through. So that's the one extreme. You're kind of starting to go into it. Now, how do we examine the other end? You know, like don't want to work, I'm kind of lazy about this. Like you already kind of mentioned it, how that really dishonors God. Like, if we claim the name of Christ, yet we're the laziest person in you know the workplace. What does that say about us? And how how does that extreme kind of play out from our heart, would you say in your study?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I would say that the the easiest way to diagnose that would be in looking at the way that you love your neighbor um and and how you go about pursuing loving your neighbor, because to be lazy, to be dependent uh unnecessarily on a program or someone else is really uh self-indulgent. It is uh presumptuous and therefore it's sinful because you're presuming upon another's kindness, another's work, another's labor, and therefore you're inherently sinning against the Lord and against that person, and therefore you're not loving that person. And so I think that the the biggest guard against uh indifference and laziness will really be to consider others, right? We're to consider one another and show honor to one another and to love one another, but also consider the way that God has created. He gives us examples in Proverbs. You know, consider the ant you sluggard. Look at the way that it stores up in season. And so we're to take inventory of these things and let them shape our heart to form our hearts into uh working hearts that work well for the sake of the other, right? We see that all throughout the the the Trinity, where God the Father is working on behalf of glorifying his son. God the Son is working to bring glory to his Father, God the Holy Spirit goes wherever he wills and works to bring men and women to the Father as sons and daughters, and they are constantly working on our behalf. And so I think that consider your life and consider how am I loving my neighbor with my work? Can I say that I am loving my neighbor with my work? Um, or am I being unnecessarily lazy in some ways? Am I just showing up to my job, working to get it done, and then coming home and letting that be my moment of rest? Or am I there laboring joyfully for the Lord and for my neighbor and and shining the light of Christ in the workplace?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think that's good. I kind of want to maybe shift a little bit. So sorry if I if I mess it up, but thinking about you mentioned in one of your points how we work in the home, right? And like how uh your family is that first kind of priority of work. Um and I'm thinking about just as you kind of talked about working and then you kind of clack out and go home to rest, I'm thinking about that balance of then, man, okay, if if if work in the home is my first priority, how then do I rightly balance work in the workplace? You know what I mean? Like how do I do both well um and and and glorifying to the Lord? Like so caring for my family and my children while also you know running the race of doing work. Maybe talk about that a little bit and kind of your uh thoughts on that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, uh it's one of those things that takes prayer, great amount of prayer and direction from the Lord, wisdom from the Lord, wisdom from and counsel from others to know how to balance these things because it's not the same for every family. Um and so I think that it's one of those things where uh if you overwork yourself during the day and then you get home and you feel like I've just got nothing to give, yeah. I I I I can't deal with these kids right now, I can't deal with this right now, then you are in a sinful path.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and you know, it's something that I learned early on from a pastor that, you know, he would get home every day after laboring eight hours, nine hours uh at the church, and he would pray before he would enter the door, Lord, strengthen me, give me the strength to love my family well right now because I just don't have it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And so I think that it's something that we have to be so intentional about. Um, you know, we are here to be spent for the sake of Christ. God spent everything for us, and therefore we should spend ourselves for his sake and for his glory. Yeah. And so knowing that there is no way to neglect our family and honor God, we must, no matter how hard we work at the office, we must work equally or as or harder in the home. We get home, you had a long day, you pray for the strength and you get it done. Go in, you love your family well. You let your wife and your children know that you see them and that you care for them and that you are providing for them more than just monetarily, because the last thing that kids need is more money. Yeah, they need affection, attention, love, and they need to know that you see them, that you care for them. Yeah, and and the same with wives and husbands. You get home, let them know that you see them, that you care for them, that it's more than just I'm providing, therefore, I've done my job. Yeah. No, our job doesn't stop there. Our job is to work unto the Lord in every arena.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I heard someone say, and like it might be the same person because I feel like I've heard that before, but maybe you told me that. But um, he will often say, like, when I get home, I'm just starting my second shift. That's right. It just, it's just I'm I'm not, you know, clocking out, which is often, I think, what you're saying, like the temptation is oh, I'm home, I kick my feet up, maybe go to the bedroom, hang out, whatever. But like, man, I'm just hit starting my second shift, and now I get to do work well by loving my family, loving my wife.
SPEAKER_01:That's right.
SPEAKER_03:Well, Cody, man, we appreciate you coming on. I think so much more we could even say and go on for a long time because it's seeing work in the right light. You know, something we know we're not saved by works, but everything we've talked about with creation and how we're to view, not just our vocation. So uh great stuff. We'll give you the last word. Anything to sum up for the listeners uh for this episode as we move into uh stories of how we work.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I would just encourage uh the listeners, you know, consider your life, consider the work that Christ has done for you and and let that just wash over you, meditate upon uh the work that he's done and all that he has purchased for us. You know, he says, Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And and that rest is is so that we can, our souls can rest finally. And so we can come to him in our weariness, in our tiredness. And we can ask for strength, and he will grant it by his grace. And so, yeah, I would just ask everyone to consider their life and where they uh can work heartily is unto the Lord.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks for tuning in to the Life Talk Podcast. If this episode encouraged you, please be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and leave a review so others can find this content as well. And we'll look forward to seeing you next Monday for another great episode.
