Friday Faith | The Culture We Create

I’ve spent the past week in North Carolina training with my new team. It’s been a long time since I laughed so hard with a group of people. We’ve become fast friends and co-laborers in Christ.

I’ve heard it said that culture refers to “the way we do things around here.” I’ve learned that wherever you find people, you’ll find culture.

Starting a new job means learning more than tasks, procedures, and operating systems. You’re also learning how things are done around here. It doesn’t take long to figure out what people celebrate, what they overlook, what they talk about, and how they treat one another. As Christians, we’re called to pay attention. Culture matters.

Paul writes:

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/1th.5.20-22.ESV

I think Paul gives us pretty good advice for building a biblically sound culture.

I encourage you to take a moment and think about a few questions pertaining to the culture at your work.

What do we celebrate?
What gets noticed, rewarded, and encouraged?

What do we overlook?
What have we simply accepted as the way things are? What are the sacred cows?

What do we talk about when nobody is telling us what to talk about?
What naturally becomes the subject of our conversations? Better yet, who?

Culture is rarely all good or all bad. It’s often a mix of both. The good news is that as followers of Jesus, we don’t have to blindly conform to either. We can actually set the culture.

We do that by celebrating what is good and gently challenging what isn’t.

And sometimes, changing a culture begins with something remarkably small like a kind word, admitting when we’re wrong, refusing to participate in gossip, taking time to listen, or simply treating someone with dignity when nobody else is.

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”

Maybe the same could be said about culture. We may not be able to change everything around us. But we can pay attention to what we’re contributing.

We pick up the traits of the people we see every day. Smart friends can help us make better choices. Surrounding ourselves with wise mentors can guide us through hard times. A sound culture should make you better.

What kind of culture are you helping create wherever God has placed you?

And maybe the better question is:

Does the way I “do things around here” look anything like Jesus?

Have a blessed Friday.

Until my next post…

Be salty, stay lit.

Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™

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