The Semi-Circle
Are you looking for that fabled “work-life balance”?
Maybe there’s a better question: How do we live fruitful lives like Jesus?
Conversations to consider:
Conversation #1
From the Start
💡 Bottom Line
In the beginning, God created us to do more than exist, He created us to work. But He also designed us to work and rest in specific ways. When we embrace them, we thrive.
📜 Read Together: Genesis 1:26-2:3
TIP: Pay attention to what God does and says — especially about humankind and who we are to Him.
🙋 Ask: what stands out to you?
💡 Explain
Before we get to “work”, let’s consider our identity from the start.
(We talk often about Identity or the ID Q’s: who God is and what He’s done which makes us who we are. Notice who God is and what He does in this text.)
God creates us in His image — we all reflect Him and what He’s like
God creates us as His partners — He entrusts His creation to our care
God creates us in relationships — we cannot live or thrive alone
📜 Re-read: Genesis 1:31-2:3
TIP: Pay attention to what God does and says — especially about work, its results, and rest itself.
🙋 Ask: what stands out to you?
💡 Explain
Before we talk about “doing work,” this text sheds light on our relationship to work.
(Just as we previously drew on the ID Q’s, notice how God’s example defines our relationship to work)
God creates us for relationship with Himself — we are in His image and made for Him
God directs us to work in His creation — we are made to work but not made for work itself
God looks at His work and calls it good — we work because He called it good and brings good from it
God shows us the way to work — we take cues from His purpose and patterns
💬 Discuss
Work’s Purpose | If we are not made for work, but entrusted work in His world…what is the purpose of our work? What outcome does God intend to come from our living and working in the world?
The Daily Pattern | Notice God’s pattern each day. He stops working, looks at His work, and calls it “good.” What can we learn from His or how can we imitate His example each day?
The Weekly Pattern | Notice God’s pattern through the week. What has God been doing for six days? By the seventh day, what does He do? If the God who creates by speaking stops to rest, what must we do? (Do we really believe we must?)
Our First Day | When God stops to rest on the seventh day, how many days have “we” existed? If God makes us stop and rest on our first full day of existence, then what might this mean for how we work and rest?
⏭️ Next: we don’t rest from work, we work from rest. How the vine pictures the key to fruitfulness without exhaustion.
In a Picture
Imagine hanging a ball from a string and letting it go:
How would it swing?
What determines how far it can swing?
Our lives are like a pendulum, swinging between work and rest in equal measure. Do you violate or respect its pattern?
Conversation #2
From the Vine
💡 Bottom Line
In Jesus’ words, fruitful living begins in rest and relationship with Him, abiding in what He says and directs us to do. When we embrace His approach, we thrive.
📜 Read Together: John 15:1-2
TIP: Pay attention to what Jesus does and says — especially about Himself, our Father, and what they do.
🙋 Ask: what stands out to you?
💡 Explain
Before we get to “us,” we must anchor ourselves in who He is and what He does.
(We talk often about Identity or the ID Q’s: who God is and what He’s done which makes us who we are. Notice who God is and what He does in this text.)
Jesus is the true vine — we all (branches) must grow out of His life source (vine)
Our Father is the gardener — He cares for the branches so that they bear the vine’s fruit
📜 Continue Reading: John 15:3-9
TIP: Pay attention to what Jesus does and says — especially about Himself, our Father, and how we relate to both.
🙋 Ask: what stands out to you?
💡 Explain
Notice who we are and how our lives are shaped by who He is and what He has done for us:
We are “clean” and accepted already — simply because of what He spoke
We are connected to Him and His life — simply because He has connected us, simply remain there
We are fruitful as an outflow of life— simply because He is the source of life creating its outflow
We are pleasing to God who is honored in this — simply because we bear the fruit He causes us to bear
We are beloved and valued — simply because He shows us the love of the Father
💬 Discuss
What you do vs. Whose you are | We often define ourselves by “what we do” and how well we do it. How does Jesus define our value and purpose? What draws His attention and delight toward us?
Effort vs. Earning | If we no longer need to “earn” God’s favor, then what else can motivate our work and effort?
Remaining is Key | Jesus does not talk about what we must “become,” He continually states what we “already are” then says “remain” in Him and in His words. Do you work to establish something about / for yourself? Or do you work from the truth He says about you? What would it look like to go to work this week “remaining” in what He has said about you?
⏭️ Next: how working for identity, not from identity, bleeds over and burns us out.
Pause to Discuss
We do who we are. Who we believe ourselves to be drives what we do about that. In other words, our identity drives our actions.
If you work for the paycheck, the promotion, or the weekend…what does might that show you believe about your identity?
What do your current work habits show you believe about your identity?
What changes could help you align with your God-given identity?
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We often draw hard lines between “work” and “faith” or say one “simply needs to believe.” Yet Jesus called disciples to follow in action, and James says “faith without works is dead.” Is there a better way to see activity or action as an extension of our faith?
Conversation #3
Burnout
💡 Bottom Line
Burnout indicates we are out alignment with our God-given purpose and patterns. Rather than searching for ultimate value through your work, find the rest you crave in God, then work from the identity He gives you.
⚙️ Consider using a ball and string
TIP: It helps to have the visual language of a pendulum while you discuss these ideas.
💡 Explain
Today, we want to consider the movement of the semi-circle—like a pendulum or ball swinging on a string. We can see a pattern of swinging toward work and back to rest.
🙋 Ask: what would happen if we forced ourselves into the work side forever?
💬 Discuss
If the pendulum or ball started in a place of rest, where must it return? (We can only swing into work if we have first rested, and we must return to rest before doing more work.)
What determines how far the ball can swing? (We can only swing into work as far we have first rested, and the quality of our rest determines how far we can work next.)
🙋 Ask: is it possible to not realize you’re in “work mode” all the time?
💬 Discuss
What drives us if we are concerned about acceptance, accomplishment, or approval? We have talked about working from our identity in Christ, rather than other identities or motivations. But what if you do not work from this identity — can you ever stop striving, working, and trying to reach your goal?
Does a faulty identity “switch off” because we go home or get to church? If we live from who we believe we are (identity drives action), then we don’t stop living from that when we are “off the clock.” What is at risk when we think we’re “off the clock” but are still striving and working?
What are the indicators that we might not be switching off outside of work? Like the 4G’s Tool reveals, we may feel we must control situations, get approval, avoid conflict, or preserve comfort. This usually has side effects on our emotions, thought life, and relationships with others. In what ways might your “working for identity” spill over in these ways?
Can rest be more than stopping? If rest is more than simply “punching out” or “logging off,” then what brings full and true rest or recreation to our souls? What brings rest to our thoughts and emotions as much as to our bodies and from effort?
What does true rest look like? If a person needs nothing more, what do they do? Do you have tell such a person to stop and rest? What causes us to feel we “need nothing more” and simply fall at rest?
⏭️ Growth is not forever. Cutting back is wise not weak.
Conversation #4
Cutting Back & Abiding
💡 Bottom Line
Cutting Back is not failure but fruitful. Even good growth must be cut back at times. Rather than extending ourselves, abiding in Him may mean remaining as we are without striving for more.
⚙️ Consider finding a video of pruning like this
TIP: It helps to have the visual language of pruning while you discuss these ideas, but know too — modern practice doesn’t match ancient practice in every way.
💡 Explain
Today, we want to consider what Jesus says about “pruning” — like branches on the vine, we cannot grow forever. We can see a wisdom, not weakness, in stopping and cutting back.
🙋 Ask: in what ways do we idolize or buy into perpetual growth?
💬 Discuss
If the vine was allowed to grow on its own endlessly, what might result?
What does pruning do for the vine and its branches? (Think about the process, the goals, the results)
If pruning does not spell death, then what might be the good in pruning?
📜 Re-read: John 15:1-2
💬 Discuss
What is the purpose of pruning?
If pruning is essential and not dysfunctional, then why do we view it as a threat?
If we cannot accept pruning, how do we view our Gardener? How do we view ourselves?
Continuing to grow without stopping overextends us, shrinks the fruit, and thins the results. What indicators do I see in my life that I need pruning?
To be pruned of my fruit removes my claim to worth or attention. If all I am for a time is a branch with no fruit, can I be ok?
What would it look like to abide in Christ rather than bear fruit for a season?