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Doing Good Work that Matters Doesn’t Happen Accidentally

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Everything you do can become an agent for good. The activities of our everyday lives are themselves part of the good works God created us for in Christ (Ephesian 2). And, therefore, they have great meaning. Don’t just try to get things done; seek to serve others to the glory of God in everything you do.

Doing good work also doesn’t just happen accidentally. We have to be intentional in making plans for the welfare of others. And then we have to be proactive in carrying those plans out.

Note Ephesians 5:15–17: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

We are not to breeze through life, but to “look carefully” at how we walk. We don’t just walk through a store with our eyes closed, buying whatever we touch, and expect it to turn into a wardrobe. Nor should we do that with our time and opportunities. We are to “make the most” of the time. The time doesn’t make the most of itself; we are to take back the time from poor uses and turn it to good uses.

Let us plan to do good with the time we’ve been given today.

For more, see Chapter 4 and 5 in What’s Best Next.

We Are All in Little League

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This week I started coaching little league baseball for the first time. My two boys are on the same team and we’re pretty excited around here.

But going into our first practice, I knew I better temper my expectations. Typical seven, eight, and nine-year-olds have hardly been on a baseball field, much less developed the fundamentals of playing the game. Hand-eye coordination is spotty and attention spans are short (we’re talking five minutes short at our first practice).

All baseball players at this age have major holes in their game. They might have 17 things wrong with their swing alone! But kids can’t fix 17 things at one time. So my plan is to focus on one or two things with each player. If I’m able to help them reduce 17 down to 15 by the end of the season, that’s progress. And then next year their coach can help them get down to 12 or 13.

If we’re honest, we are all in little league.

We are imperfect people with real limitations and real-world constraints, and the way we lead change or grow in any area is essentially the same way kids get better at hitting baseballs.

If we try to change everything at once, should we really expect to make meaningful progress?

We Don’t Have a Right to Be Idle

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No man has a right to be idle . . . where is it in such a world as this that health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some want to supply, some misery to alleviate?  – William Wilberforce

It makes no sense for us to live in a society of abundance while half the world lives in great need, and not be diligent and creative and eager to figure out ways to use our abundance to help meet those needs.

When we look around and see our comfort, privilege, and affluence, we shouldn’t fall into the trap of asking “how can I get more of this?” As Kingdom-minded Christians, our first thought should be: “how can I use this technology/money/time to serve—especially those in greatest need?”

That’s the gospel-driven productivity William Wilberforce gave his life to.

Rescuing Ambition in the Workplace

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I think you’ll benefit from this excellent series of articles from Dave Harvey, author if Rescuing Ambition (also highly recommended!).

This is how Dave introduces his series on ambition in the workplace:

A few years ago I wrote the book Rescuing Ambition and called for a rescue. I wanted to  snatch ambition from the heap of failed motivations and put it to work for the glory of God. I wanted Christians to realize that to understand our ambition, we must understand that we are on a quest for glory. And where we find glory determines the success of our quest. Since I wrote that book, many suggested that I address God’s design for ambition in the workplace and in one’s daily calling. 

Here are the links to Dave’s multi-part series, “Rescuing Ambition in the Workplace”: Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

 

Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and You [Guest Post]

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This is a guest post by Alex Chediak, author of Thriving at College and now most recently, Beating the College Debt Trap.

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg did it right. They left college when they got what they came for. They knew what they wanted. They knew who they were. They came, got after it, and got out. They didn’t earn degrees, but they got something better: an education. And the skills to keep learning for a lifetime.

Most of us don’t share their entrepreneurial brilliance. We’ve needed both an education and a degree to get our start. And the same will be true for our kids. The gap in earnings between those with only a high school diploma and those with a college degree—associate’s, bachelor’s, or beyond—continues to rise.

But too many of our kids are going to college not knowing who they are or what they want. As a result, too many leave without a degree or even much of an education. So what should we do about it?

1. Accept that we must change before they can change. We wouldn’t have the highest college dropout rate in the industrial world if we did more to prepare our children. It’s our job to help them develop the character and maturity they’ll need to be successful. Setting priorities, tracking deadlines, delaying gratification, and developing a work ethic are as important as test scores and GPAs.

2. Help them discover the intersection between their interests and their talents. Most students change majors at least once. That’s not always a bad thing, but it usually adds time and expense to their degree. And it’s often avoidable if they had only received more coaching. So be observant, hold brainstorming sessions (with a large college catalog open, if necessary), and encourage early signs of promise.

3. Encourage them to really try things.  Bill Gates said of his teenage computer addiction, “It was hard to tear myself away from a machine at which I could so unambiguously demonstrate success.” Math club and the yearbook committee can be helpful, but professional opportunities are even better. It could be shadowing an engineer at a tech firm, starting a small business, volunteering in a research lab, or filming an amateur movie. Career research is good, but career experience is better. Talents are revealed in the crucible of experience. 

4. Treat teens like young adults, not children. As they’re growing up, give them more freedom but expect more responsibility in return. Shift into more of a coaching than a controlling role. When it comes time to decide upon a college, share ownership of the decision and the expense. Students who have skin in the game tend to appreciate it more, attend class more often, and outperform those who (in theory) have more study time.

If we’re intentional in our parenting years, our kids, like Gates and Zuckerberg, can get a first-rate education. They don’t have to be Ivy League dropouts (or graduates), but they do need to know how they’re wired and how higher education fits with who they are and where they’re going. That will give them the focus to get in, get after it, and get out. 

Alex Chediak (@chediak) is a professor of engineering and physics at California Baptist University and the author of Beating the College Debt Trap, Preparing Your Teens for College, and Thriving at College. Learn more about Alex’s work at his website.

Hope for Those Who Feel Totally Unproductive

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Job loss, economic downturns, illness, accidents, and a host of other difficult circumstances mean that at some point most of us will face something beyond a typical productivity challenge. We will have times when we’ll be seemingly unable to get much done at all that feels “productive.”

If you’re in a situation like that, take hope in the truth that you can be faithful wherever you are, however meager your energy and resources seem to be.

The book of Revelation, for example, teaches that faithfulness is the means by which we overcome the world and obtain victory. Christ specifically emphasizes this in his letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3 in relation to those who are powerless and seemingly unable to do anything:

  • “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich).” – Revelation 2:9
  • “I know you that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” – Revelation 3:8

You can be poor in this world, and yet utterly rich before Christ (Revelation 2:9). You can be utterly powerless in this world, and yet highly regarded by Christ (Revelation 3:8). This is true riches.

Trusting in him and obeying his commands is the essence of what God requires, and you can do this wherever you are and in whatever condition you are in.

No matter what your situation, you can look to God (Psalm 18:6), you can pray for the spread of the gospel among all nations (Matthew 6:9-10), you can be kind to the people who cross your path (1 Corinthians 13:5), and you can point them to your hope in Christ (1 Peter 3:15). “Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God” (Isaiah 50:10).

And, no matter what situation you’re in, you can pray. You can do more through prayer than you can imagine. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think…to him be glory” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

If you can pray, you can change the world.

To Be Productive is to Be Fruitful in Good Works

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What Does God Want Done?

Good works. What God wants done are good works.

We see this right in Matthew 5:16, where Jesus sums up for us the entire purpose of our lives: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

That is the purpose of the Christian life summed up for us in one sentence. The entire purpose of our lives—what God wants from us—is to do good for others, to the glory of God.

We also see this in one of the most important passages on productivity in the Bible—Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Likewise, Titus 2:14 tells us that Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” And Jesus says in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.”

Being Fruitful in Good Works

Hence, good works are part of the purpose of our salvation. In one sense we have been doubly created for good works. God created us to do good works, as we see in the creation mandate in Genesis, and here we see that we are also re-created in Christ to do good works.

Productive things, then, are things that do good. Productivity always has to be understood in relation to a goal, and God’s goal is that we do good works.

Hence, we can define productivity in this way: to be productive is to be fruitful in good works. 

Adapted from What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done.

 

Developing a Christian Worldview

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As Christians, we are called to engage the culture, not retreat from it. In order to do this effectively (and winsomely, avoiding spiritual weirdness), we need to understand how to develop a Christian worldview.

Philip Graham Ryken’s booklet What is the Christian Worldview is the best short read on how to do this. It outlines the four basic components of the Christian worldview—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—and shows how they apply to every area of life.

This book gives a good basis for understanding the framework for thinking Christianly about anything, so that you can then apply the framework to your own specific callings.

 

Support The Gospel Fund, A New Platform for Global Missions Ventures

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The Gospel Fund is a brand-new platform that enables Christian missionaries, church planters, non-profits, churches, and individuals to raise money for global mission ventures.

I am incredibly excited about it. My friend Brannon McAllister is one of the co-founders, and he’s kept me in the loop as they’ve been developing the platform. Brannon also co-founded Noise Trade and was a key part of its growth. He understands the web, and is one of the best I’ve worked with.

Gospel-Centered Innovation, Better than Kickstarter

The Gospel Fund is the type of thing I’ve been wanting to see for a long time. It’s like Kickstarter, but for gospel-centered projects — and without the typical poor implementation and graphic design that we often see in ventures like this that are designed for the Christian world.

The Gospel Fund is on the same par in terms of professionally, functionality, design, and execution as Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and similar major sites that don’t have thegospel-centered focus.

I believe this can and will change the future of missions fundraising, and therefore missions itself. It is that important.

Get to Know the Site!

I highly suggest getting to know the site and using it! Read the about page, browse some of the projects, and if you have a project you are needing to raise funds for, consider doing it on The Gospel Fund.

Consider Giving Financially to Help Finish the Build

Beyond that, the main action right now is to consider giving to help finish the building of the site. The front end is done and the site is working. But there is back-end work that needs to be finished so that they can launch well. They are raising $70,000 so they can finish the work.

It is well, well worth giving to. I highly suggest checking it out, and if you can, giving a donation. I don’t say that lightly. This is a fantastic project that is worthy of whatever you can do to help it come to completion and launch well.

Dream Dreams for Doing Good!

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I realize that it can be very hard, and things can go wrong. But we still need to hear this. John Piper, in Don’t Waste You’re Life:

Oh, that young and old would turn off the television, take a long walk, and dream about feats of courage for a cause ten thousand times more important than American democracy — as precious as that is.

If we would dream and if we would pray, would not God answer? Would he withhold from us a life of joyful love and mercy and sacrifice that magnifies Christ and makes people glad in God?

I plead with you, as I pray for myself, set your face like flint to join Jesus on the Calvary road. ‘Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come’ (Hebrews 13:13-14). When they see our sacrificial love — radiant with joy — will they not say, ‘Christ is great’?