We’ve been exploring the different phases of man’s relationship to work—work in the sense of job, labor, or vocation. Man has had varying relationships to work from creation, to work after the fall, to work in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the last installment of this series we began to look at how the gospel changes our view of work. Particularly, we were concerned with whether...
We’ve been talking about God’s grand plan for man and work. Previously, I wrote about God’s good design for work in Work is Not a Dirty Word. Then, in No TED Talks in Eden, we looked at how the curse affected work and how that makes attention to productivity even necessary. Now, I’d like to focus on the relationship between personal productivity and the gospel. I have...
In the last post, “Work is Not a Dirty Word“, we noted the wrong-headedness of believers assuming that just because it is difficult that work is, therefore, a consequence of the Fall. Work was created by God as very good. Man worked with joy and pleasure before the fall, and in the eternal state, he will once again enjoy the unfrustrated, painless joy of work as it was intended. But...
When we talk about the subject of productivity, we need to recognize that what we are really talking about is work—how to get more work done better, faster, etc. But some Christians carry with them the mistaken assumption that work is a bad thing. They believe it is a tedious but necessary consequence of sin and the fall. To many of us, work is synonymous with pain, toil, and frustration. We...
Financial stewardship matters to God. How are we wisely investing the funds the Lord has entrusted to us? I’ve written before on budgeting, and the best budgeting software for Christians. But I want to share yet another service I use to wisely manage my funds, despite the fact that when it comes to money I’m a total rube. Maybe you’re like me. I didn’t really think about money all...
Maybe you’ve got a productive Christian in your life or just want to get a little something for yourself. I’ve put together a list of several products and books that will put a twinkle in the eye of any believer with a penchant for productivity. 1. Kindle Paperwhite Any productivity oriented person is going to read a lot of books. While I still prefer to read physical books, I do own...
Productivity has to do with work—specifically being more effective and efficient in getting work done. What we may sometimes forget, however, is the ultimate reason for which Christians should try and be productive in our work. We should be productive in our work because we were made in the image of a productive God. The book of Genesis demonstrates this profound reality. The Bible throughout...
No matter what each day holds, or how bad things might get, I have an overarching reason to always get out of bed in the morning. I have not just a purpose to my life, I have the purpose of life. Today, whatever I do, I get to glorify the Maker of heaven and earth.
When I was involved in campus ministry, I used to carry around a notebook and collapsible pen in my back pocket. Both were very tiny. I would jot down thoughts and people’s contact information, but mostly I used it to make check lists. I would draw a little box to tick and a to-do item next to it. Next line. Another little box and another to-do item. That’s how I made sure I got...
I don’t know about you but there’s only one place I’ve ever heard someone use the word “stewardship” and that’s in church. It’s not an exclusively Christian word, but if Oxford ever published a Lexicon of Christianese, “stewardship” would most certainly have an entry. Sadly, if this theoretical dictionary did exist, the definition for Christian stewardship would probably just say, “See tithe.” I...
