Explore every episode of the podcast God's Work

What story is shaping how you see your work?

In this episode, Tom Nelson explores how the stories we believe influence everything - including our sense of purpose, identity, and meaning at work. For many, there’s a disconnect between Sunday faith and Monday work. But what if a better story could bring it all together?

Tom introduces God’s four-chapter story of work - creation, fall, redemption, and restoration - and shows how this powerful biblical framework can transform how you approach your daily work.

You’ll discover:

- Why you were created to work and what it was meant to be

- Why work often feels frustrating, broken, or meaningless

- How Jesus redeems not just you, but your work

- The future hope of work fully restored

This bigger story brings clarity, purpose, and hope — helping you see your work, whatever it is, as part of something far greater.

Because when you understand God’s story, you begin to see your work differently.

What does Easter have to do with your Monday at work?

In this opening episode, Tom Nelson explores the gap many of us feel between Sunday faith and weekday work. While Easter Sunday fills us with hope, Monday can quickly bring stress, frustration, and a sense that our work doesn’t really matter.

But what if the resurrection changes more than just our future - what if it transforms how we see our work today?

Drawing on 1 Corinthians 15:58, Tom unpacks how the reality of the risen Jesus speaks directly into the meaning, struggle, and purpose of our daily work - whether in an office, a home, or anywhere in between.

You’ll discover:

- Why your work is not “in vain,” even when it feels like it is

- How the resurrection reshapes your view of purpose and calling

- What it means to approach your work with hope, confidence, and faith

Because the good news of Easter Sunday is also good news for Easter Monday.

God's Work with Tom Nelson is brought to you in partnership between Made to Flourish and Premier

Who is shaping how you work?

In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a powerful and often overlooked truth: Jesus is not only your Savior — He is also your wisest and most important work mentor.

Through the surprising reality that Jesus spent most of His life as a carpenter, Tom shows how deeply God values everyday work. Far from being irrelevant to your Monday, Jesus understands your pressures, challenges, and ambitions — and invites you to learn directly from Him.

Drawing on Matthew 11 and the idea of apprenticeship, you’ll discover what it means to be “yoked” to Jesus in your daily work and how His wisdom can guide you in real, practical ways.

You’ll learn:

- Why Jesus’ work as a carpenter matters for your work today

- How to see Jesus as your mentor, not just your Savior

- What it means to apprentice your life and work to Him

- A simple, practical way to begin learning from Jesus this week

Because you were never meant to navigate your work alone — the greatest mentor in history is inviting you to walk with Him.

What’s the most dangerous thing you can forget at work?

In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a deeper kind of forgetfulness — not missed meetings or emails, but forgetting God’s presence in your everyday work.

Through the story of Moses and the burning bush, Tom shows how even ordinary workplaces can become holy ground when we recognise that God is already there. The challenge isn’t that God is absent — it’s that we’re often inattentive.

You’ll discover:

Why forgetting God at work is more serious than you think

How your workplace can become a place of encounter with God

What “burning bush moments” might look like in everyday life

Simple practices to help you stay aware of God’s presence

Because your work isn’t just a place you go — it’s a place where God is already at work.

Who is shaping how you see your work? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a powerful and often overlooked truth: God is not only to be worshipped — He is the original and ultimate worker. Through the opening chapter of Book of Genesis, Tom reveals how God intentionally introduces Himself not first as ruler or judge, but as Creator—actively bringing order, beauty, and life into existence. This foundational truth reshapes how we understand our own work, showing that everyday tasks are deeply connected to God’s design and purpose. Drawing on Genesis 1:25–28 and the reality of being made in God’s image, you’ll discover how your work is meant to reflect His creative goodness and loving rule. Even in a world where work is often frustrating or broken, God’s original design still echoes in our desire for meaning, purpose, and satisfaction. You’ll learn: -Why God revealing Himself as a worker changes how you view your job -How being made in God’s image shapes your purpose in work -What it means to reflect God’s creativity and stewardship in everyday tasks -A simple, practical way to reimagine your work this week Because your work is not accidental or insignificant — it is part of a greater story, shaped by the God who works and invites you to join Him.

Who is shaping the pace of your work and life? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a sobering and deeply relevant question: are you heading toward burnout—and how would you even know? Through a powerful real-life story and the ancient account of the prophet Elijah in First Book of Kings, Tom reveals how even the most faithful and resilient workers can find themselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually depleted. Burnout is not just a modern problem—it’s a human one, and Scripture speaks directly into it. Drawing on 1 Kings 19 and Elijah’s dramatic collapse after a season of intense work and success, you’ll discover how burnout distorts our perspective, drains our energy, and leaves us feeling isolated and overwhelmed. Yet in Elijah’s story, we also see God’s compassionate response—meeting exhaustion with rest, nourishment, and renewal. You’ll learn: -How to recognize early warning signs of burnout in your own life -Why even meaningful, successful work can lead to deep exhaustion -What Elijah’s story teaches about God’s care in seasons of depletion -A simple, practical way to assess and reset your work pace this week -Because you were never meant to run on empty—God invites you into a sustainable rhythm of work and rest, where your life and work can flourish.

Who helps you when work piles on top of you? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a deeply human and often painful reality: what do you do when your work—and life—don’t turn out the way you hoped? Through a moving real-life story and the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul in Epistle to the Philippians, Tom shows how even in seasons of disappointment, loss, and struggle, there is a path forward marked by resilience, faith, and hope. Drawing on Philippians 4:4–7, you’ll discover how Paul, writing from a prison cell, speaks powerful truth into our hardest moments—inviting us to rejoice, to pray instead of worry, and to experience a peace that goes beyond our circumstances. When life feels like it’s knocked you flat, these words offer a way to rise again with renewed strength. You’ll learn: -How to respond when your work and life feel broken or off track -Why joy and peace are still possible even in difficult circumstances -What it means to reset your perspective through God’s bigger story -A simple, practical way to take your next step forward this week Because even when your work knocks you down—you are not alone, and with God’s help, you can get back up again.

Are You Stuck on God's B-Team? What if the work you're doing right now, your career and your job isn't "important enough" in God's eyes? This is the hidden struggle Steve faced for decades. A talented athlete offered professional contracts, Steve wrestled with whether his faith should lead him away from business and toward ministry. Following the guidance of Christian leaders around him, Steve pursued international business with Exxon Mobil all while feeling like he'd settled for second best. For years, he woke up convinced he was on God's B-team. Then one question changed everything: "Why settle for being a pastor if God has called you to be a businessman?" In this episode, Tom Nelson explores God's vision for work and shows you why there is no B-team in God's economy. Drawing on Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5-6, you'll discover how to discern your true vocational calling and find freedom in knowing you're exactly where God wants you. You'll learn: -Why God cares deeply about all work and not just ministry callings -The difference between your primary calling (intimacy with God) and secondary callings (work, family, relationships) -How to discern what work God is calling you to do -Why your paid or unpaid work matters profoundly to God -A biblical framework for making wise vocational decisions You are on God's A-team. Your work matters. And God has given you everything you need to flourish in your calling.

What if your work and how you do it is the most powerful testimony you'll ever give. Blake grew up in a Jewish home with a father who was deeply sceptical of Christians. His father's message was clear: "Don't do business with Christians. They'll cut corners, take advantage of you, and lie to enhance their bottom line." It was a perception shaped by negative experiences and it stuck. Then Blake became a follower of Jesus. And something shifted. He realised that his father's scepticism wasn't really about the Gospel itself. It was about what he'd seen in Christian business owners and workers. Their actions contradicted their faith. Their work didn't match their words. That's when Blake understood a painful truth: One of the greatest obstacles to Christian witness in the world is how we work in the workplace. But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if Christians were known as the best workers? For extraordinary integrity? For building thriving companies with exceptional cultures? For serving the common good? What would that say about Jesus? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores what a compelling Christian witness looks like at work and how your daily labour can point others to God. Drawing on Matthew 5:13-16, Acts 1:8, and 1 Peter 3:15, you'll discover how both your work and your words matter in sharing the Gospel. You'll learn: -Why your work is your primary Christian witness even more than your words -What Jesus meant when He called you "salt and light" in your workplace -How to shine your light through good work well done -Why your co-workers need to see the Gospel before they can hear it -How to naturally open spiritual conversations at work -The balance between "show and tell" living out faith and speaking about faith Your workplace is a mission field and you've been sent there as salt and light.

What if the gap between your Sunday worship and your Monday work isn't just about disconnection, it was about missing God's power. David was talented. He studied architecture, became a lead designer for two major league baseball stadiums, PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Minute Maid Park in Houston. By all measures, he was successful. But for years, he carried a quiet shame. His local church celebrated pastors, missionaries, and parachurch workers as the ones "really serving God." Was David just settling? Was his architecture career somehow less important, less spiritual, less called? Then David discovered an overlooked Bible passage that changed everything. It was about two craftsmen named Bezalel and Oholiaband a radical truth: the first time the Bible says someone was filled with the Holy Spirit, it wasn't a priest doing priestly duties. It was an architect and craftsperson called to build something. That moment transformed David's entire understanding of calling, vocation, and what it means to work. He went on to start his own firm, Convergence Design, and for the first time, his architecture became an act of worship. In this episode, Tom Nelson explores what it truly means to work in the power of the Holy Spirit, not just on Sunday, but in your Monday world. Drawing on Exodus 31:1-7 and Galatians 5:16-25, you'll discover how God calls you, empowers you, and designed you specifically for the work you do. You'll learn: -Why being filled with the Holy Spirit applies to your workplace—not just your church -The difference between workplace competency and workplace adequacy -How the fruit of the Spirit transforms your attitude, relationships, and work quality -What it means when the Holy Spirit is your "helper, not your replacer" -The hidden obstacles that grieve or quench the Spirit in your work -How to walk in the Spirit and experience seamless, worshipful work -You were designed with work in mind. You're called to your workplace. The Holy Spirit is there, ready to empower you with character, wisdom, and gifts so your Monday work becomes an act of worship and contribution to God's kingdom.

How do you avoid the alluring web of temptation that greets you in your Monday world? Picture a spider's web glistening in the morning sun; beautiful, intricate, deadly. A butterfly, drawn by its beauty, dances closer and closer until, suddenly, it's stuck. This is how temptation works in your workplace. It doesn't announce itself as destruction. It whispers of opportunity, advancement, pleasure, and power. It comes as jealousy, greed, ambition, sexual desire—sometimes disguised as something you genuinely want. Four thousand years ago, a young man named Joseph faced this battle in his workplace. Sold into slavery, he rose to prominence in his master's household. But when sexual temptation came - seductive, powerful, and seemingly consequence-free - Joseph did something radical: he fled. He chose his integrity over his career, his faith over his desires. And yes, it cost him everything temporarily. But it saved him eternally. In this episode, Tom Nelson shows you how temptation actually works and more importantly, how to escape it before you're caught. Drawing on Genesis 39, James 1:13-15, and 1 Corinthians 10:13, you'll discover the patterns temptation follows and the power God has already given you to resist. You'll learn: How temptation works and the predictable pathway that lures you in Your personal temptation vulnerabilities (and why knowing them matters) Why God's empowerment is real and available to you right now. Practical escape routes: how to avoid temptation before it catches you. Why "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Because here's the truth: You don't have to dance on temptation's web. You have a way of escape. And with God's help, you can overcome.

When it comes to living a life that honours God do you start on Sunday or Monday? In this episode, Tom Nelson explores a transformative and often overlooked truth: worship is not confined to a church service—it is meant to permeate your everyday work. Through a memorable story and key passages from Book of Genesis and Epistle to the Colossians, Tom reveals how God designed work and worship to be seamlessly woven together. From the very beginning, humanity was created not only to work, but to worship through that work. Drawing on Genesis 2:15 and Colossians 3:17, 22–23, you’ll discover how your daily tasks—whether seen or unseen—can become meaningful acts of worship when done for God and for others. This vision reshapes even the most ordinary moments into something sacred. You’ll learn: -Why work and worship were never meant to be separated -How your everyday tasks can become acts of worship -What it means to live with a “whole life” approach to honouring God -A simple, practical way to bring worship into your work this week Because your primary place of worship isn’t just where you gather on Sunday—it’s where you live, serve, and work every day.

Are You Stuck on God's B-Team? What if the work you're doing right now, your career and your job isn't "important enough" in God's eyes? This is the hidden struggle Steve faced for decades. A talented athlete offered professional contracts, Steve wrestled with whether his faith should lead him away from business and toward ministry. Following the guidance of Christian leaders around him, Steve pursued international business with Exxon Mobil all while feeling like he'd settled for second best. For years, he woke up convinced he was on God's B-team. Then one question changed everything: "Why settle for being a pastor if God has called you to be a businessman?" In this episode, Tom Nelson explores God's vision for work and shows you why there is no B-team in God's economy. Drawing on Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5-6, you'll discover how to discern your true vocational calling and find freedom in knowing you're exactly where God wants you. You'll learn: -Why God cares deeply about all work and not just ministry callings -The difference between your primary calling (intimacy with God) and secondary callings (work, family, relationships) -How to discern what work God is calling you to do -Why your paid or unpaid work matters profoundly to God -A biblical framework for making wise vocational decisions You are on God's A-team. Your work matters. And God has given you everything you need to flourish in your calling.