Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work In my Southern Baptist circles, I often hear too often "Not enough men go into ministry," or "preaching is the highest form of worship," or "I could do so much more for the Lord as a full-time minister." I believe this often creates guilt among laypeople and sets up a class divide-- either you're "really spiritual" or you're part of "the world." Keller argues that these types of statements lack a proper understanding of a theology of work. This book is a wonderful primer into theology of work, including praxeology. Keller cites from many sources, the bibliography is rich and helpful. Redeemer Presbyterian has a Center for Faith and Work that seeks to equip individuals in all work spheres with tools to develop a biblical worldview, inspire creative and Gospel-soaked behavior, and help entrepreneurs both start new ventures and revitalize current ones with a view to the Gospel. Keller's thinking is along the same lines as A.W. Tozer and others before him who saw everything we do as Christians being a reflection of God's work in us, and a way to worship and glorify Him. "If the God of the Bible exists, and there is a True Reality beneath and behind this one, and this life is not the only life, then every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, pursued in response to God’s calling, can matter forever." Keller notes that the attitude of an actively working God, and a God who created a world that needs work (Genesis 1) which He has appointed us to do for His glory, sets Christianity apart from other religions and philosophies. Unfortunately, the Greek concept of work as a necessary evil to be avoided is what has permeated Church culture, particularly Catholic doctrines, until relatively recently. "In the beginning, then, God worked. Work was not a necessary evil that came into the picture later, or something human beings were created to do but that was beneath the great God himself. No, God worked for the sheer joy of it. Work could not have a more exalted inauguration." Keller tears down the false dichotomy of "secular" and "sacred:" "No task is too small a vessel to hold the immense dignity of work given by God. Simple physical labor is God’s work no less than the formulation of theological truth... “Secular” work has no less dignity and nobility than the “sacred” work of ministry...No everyday work lacks the dignity of being patterned after God’s own work" (emphasis mine). Keller does not cite A.W. Tozer, but I find my favorite Tozer quote from The Pursuit of God applicable here: "Paul's sewing of tents was not equal to his writing an Epistle to the Romans, but both were accepted of God and both were true acts of worship. Certainly it is more important to lead a soul to Christ than to plant a garden, but the planting of the garden can be as holy an act as the winning of a soul... "The “layman” need never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his minister. Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry." One beautiful allegory Keller often refers to is Tolkein's short story Leaf by Niggle. We should view whatever work we do here as having echoes in eternity.When Paul exhorts his followers that they should remain in the work God "has assigned to him, and to which God has called him," "Paul is not referring in this case to church ministries, but to common social and economic tasks—'secular jobs,' we might say—and naming them God’s callings and assignments." Keller looks at how man is called to "subdue" the earth in Genesis, and how the Hebrew used to describe God's work in creation is the same as that used repeatedly for ordinary human work. God's call to "subdue" doesn't give a license for exploitation, but rather cultivation and invention-- to call forth things from the earth and bring order to chaos as God did with the universe. That is what we do as entrepreneurs and technicians. "Your daily work is ultimately an act of worship to the God who called and equipped you to do it—no matter what kind of work it is." It's helpful to draw on earlier church sources for help in developing a theology of work, but Keller doesn't spend much time looking at various debates. He notes that Catholicism over the centuries has evolved from having the Greek view of work to now being more in line evangelicism in work being a way we can be the "fingers of God," as Luther put it. "It means that all jobs—not merely so-called helping professions—are fundamentally ways of loving your neighbor. Christians do not have to do direct ministry or nonprofit charitable work in order to love others through their jobs." Keller and others argue that the Christian worldview is distinct among other belief systems in its approach to work. I found the chapters on "common grace" quite helpful-- we are all made in God's image and therefore many non-Christians will have amazing talents, creativity, senses of justice, and be among the best in their field. We should learn from them, but understand that what those people are missing is an avenue for greater glorifying their Creator. Similarly, because of sin all work Christians do-- whether ministry in the church or at the workplace-- will be tainted with sin. That's where redemptive grace comes in, we recognize that all work needs to be redeemed through Jesus. Work, status, money, etc. can all become idols. But so can family, ministry, knowledge, etc. This definition of "idol" really rocked me: "Now, if anything is our 'salvation' we must have it, and so we treat it as nonnegotiable. If circumstances threaten to take it away, we are paralyzed with uncontrollable fear; if something or someone has taken it away, we burn with anger and struggle with a sense of despair." Anything that is a "non-negotiable" to me-- that isn't Jesus-- is an idol. That's powerful. The Gospel frees us to work without fear of status or failure. Keller notes that too often our society, and our churches, look down on people who are "underemployed," not understanding that all work is worship and valuable and by fulfilling God's calling on our lives. Maybe I'm better equipped and called to be a $30,000/year teacher even though I could easily be a $250,000/year investment banker. And one job is not morally superior to another. How this plays out in reality is the focus of much of this book, and Keller offers up many stories from Redeemer congregants. He rightly combats the "dualism" often much too present among Christian thought: "Dualism leads some to think that if their work is to please Christ, it must be done overtly in his name. Or they must let everyone know that they lead Bible studies in the office in the morning before work hours...The integration of faith and work is the opposite of dualism." If you're a carpenter, the best way you can serve God and love others is to make great tables...! There's an opposite dualism that's also problematic: "Christians think of themselves as Christians only within church activity." Christians need help in understanding that worship is a 24/7 thing. "To be a Christian in business, then, means much more than just being honest or not sleeping with your coworkers. It even means more than personal evangelism or holding a Bible study at the office. Rather, it means thinking out the implications of the gospel worldview and God’s purposes for your whole work life—and for the whole of the organization under your influence" That's where the Center for Work comes into play, there are small groups of professionals bouncing ideas and ethical dilemmas off one another for wisdom and accountability-- that's how church should be done! I found this work encouraging and would recommend it to all business students and faculty, as well as pastors and factory workers-- ie: everyone. Five stars.

Tim Keller has given us another excellent resource. In my 40 years of ministry I have done lots of things, one of those was operate the Job Training Program for an inner city ministry. We had a ten week Theology of Work (written by Dr. Keith Phillips) course that we took our young people through and then helped them to find good employment opportunities. Until now I have not found a book on the Theology of work that I felt did an adequate job with the subject. Keller's book handles it well, documents the Biblical principles and gives a good practical application for all that he is discussing. Do you feel as though you have a "job" or a "calling"? That is one of the questions asked by Keller. Most of the time people think of a "calling" as being something a Pastor / missionary / professional Christian worker has from God. But Keller does a great job of reminding us that God put work in place as something for all of us, and it is a "GOOD" thing. Thus we are all "called" by God to do our work in a way that pleases Him and brings honor and glory to His name. God gives each of us talent and intellect. He gives each of us a "calling" to the work that we do. As such we need to be asking other questions such as, how can I bring honor and glory to God through my daily work? How can I share God with others through my daily work? How will my attitude at work actually be a positive witness to others about my walk with God. Keller's book is wonderful. It would be a great book for small groups to read together and then discuss. I would recommend that it would even be a great book for you to read, place on your desk at work and see if it will generate discussions with co-workers about your belief that God gave us work as a "good" think not as a punishment. I believe everyone will benefit from this book. Enjoy!

An insightful account of how work and faith can be integrated for both kingdom impact and fulfilment of the call to work. Recommended for everyone who wants to have a kingdom impact in their vocation.

My Rating - Put it on your list Level - Easy read, medium length Summary This is another book that is hard to summarize with just repeating the title or copy/pasting the table of contents. I guess the title isn't super clear, it comes from a quote that he opens the book with. Basically asking, 'God give us strength in every good endeavor', so, to prosper and do well and any work or vocation we choose. The book is broken into three main parts - God's plan for work, our problems with work, and the Gospel and work. An interesting point in God's plan is that work is not punishment. We often think we are required to work due to fall, but the punishment is only that it will be hard, not that we will have to do it. The problems section runs down the typical issues people have, be unmotivated and not 'work as if for the Lord', or being motivated by the wrong then (money, prestige, etc.), or making work and idol. The final section is the strength of the book. Not only are there some practical how-to-ness in there, but it is extremely encouraging. This may be most important for anything who does not like their job. You will be lifted up and maybe even be a little pumped while reading this last part. I know it changed my thinking. It caused/challenged me to look at things differently and to find different ways of approaching my job and it's issues. Most of all, I was left with a feeling of hope, in that, if doing it for God, it cannot be pointless. Keller is obviously a great writer, as evidence see his seven thousand books, most of which are best sellers. The whole book is well written and reads quickly. Most important, it is theologically sound and Biblically based. The books only weakness (one it shares with almost all of these types of books) is that it is written for white collar professionals. It assumes education, mobility, and choice in careers. There is a passing reference to blue collar work, but I found it lacking. My Thoughts The reminder that the curse isn't the work is an important perspective shift for most people. If you are like me, you remember that the punishments are hard work of the land and pain in child birth. However, we were already called to work and exercise dominion. The reason we don't like work, isn't that it is a punishment, it is that it isn't what it is supposed to be, and of course, it's hard. I want to spend a little time reiterating some points for the third section. He does acknowledge that you may not like your job, you may even be stuck there, and in that, he goes on to point out what you can do for the Kingdom while there. Obviously, you can share the gospel. There are other things, though, that I thought were interesting. For one, he discusses just being a good boss. Making your place of employment a great place to work and that treats people right, and even more so, being an ethical place. That probably affected me the most as I am stuck in a place that often appears I will never leave. So, what can I do? If you feel this way, this is a good book for you. I think just about anyone interested in a book regarding the Christian life and work should pick this up. Especially if you are in a white collar field, put it on your list. If not, it is still probably the best book on work out there, but there is just less for you. That really the only knock I have on the book and the only reason I didn't rate it higher. [...]

Loved my first read through I'm already going back through a 2nd time to revisit notes and make sure I absorb the truth and apply it. Keller divides it in 3 easy sections: 1. God's plan for work 2. Our problems w work 3. The gospel and work Section 2 really helped get me out of a terrible rut in my attitude towards work. I've held 4 separate professional jobs and the common thread hasn't been the work content but my demeanor towards it. Candidly I can say there have been days work has been enjoyable again and I attribute that towards God wooing my heart through the reason of Keller (which is really so often scripture applied rightly). Keller cites more sources in his books than any author I read, and I appreciate the breadth of insight that comes with it. Amazingly it never comes off stoic, just smart and reasonable. The 3rd and final section contained many encouragements from business leaders and friends that Keller's engaged with and helped form some vision for how the gospel frees me up to live radically for Christ in how, where and why I work. Putting all 3 sections together has really obliterated a lie I'd been believing that if I spent the next few decades in "this industry" I'd be bored to tears. Man, any work done for the glory of God can be Holy ground as far as I'm concerned. How much more worshipful is it when I care not at all for the arena I work in, but the master workman I get to learn from and lead others to in the process. Highly recommend!

Critical analysis of work and culture. This exposed so much in me. Then he drives you to Jesus. Must read.

Whether getting ready to enter into a career, in your career, or retired (which I am), this book provides great insight into how to look at how your faith in Christ should be integrated not only in your vocation and calling, but your life in general. I’m thankful my nephew recommended it to me and I’ve now sent my eldest son a copy as he begins to contemplate a change in careers. I’m thankful for how Tim Keller has brought so much to bear on this topic.

As a business instructor, I often encounter students who initially enter their careers with the primary goal of making money, only to feel empty or unfulfilled later. My goal in reading this book was to provide them with a better perspective about the meaning of work. As advertised, this book examines the origins and meaning of work from a Christian perspective. Tim Keller provides a balanced treatment that neither sentimentalizes work (i.e., in a broken, fallen world, our jobs will never provide us with the satisfaction that we wish they would) nor demonizes it (i.e., Keller points out from the book of Genesis that work was created in the Garden of Eden, before the fall of humanity into sin). This book also resists making easy prescriptions about how to find your calling or one-size-fits-all solutions to work-related challenges, which I appreciated. Its inescapable conclusion is that work will never bring us fulfillment apart from God - and seeking to find our primary joy or fulfillment in work can destroy us (e.g., workaholism, etc.).