How to Increase Your Productivity
Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
If you want to be more fruitful as you engage in disciple-making, both inside the church and out in your place of mission, you must learn how you were designed to replenish your energy.
The Problem
Most of us are hard workers, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. We appreciate how much Jesus has done for us, and the urgent necessity of helping others embrace, and grow in, this fullness of life.
However, the danger is that we can easily embrace working all hours, being busy the whole time, and seeing rest and sleep like some sort of necessary evil.
This is a way of living that owes more to corporate Wall Street than to the example of Jesus, because it is all about us remaining in control and not living by faith.
The Solution
Woven into the fabric of creation is a simple, endlessly repeatable rhythm for living. It is a genius way of living that God calls us to embrace (because, after all, if the word genius applies to anyone, it certainly does to Jesus!).
In the creation account of Genesis 1, the chapter ends with God having completed His building of the universe by bringing to life the pinnacle created being, human beings. After giving them their mandate and vision for why they exist, God does something extraordinary - He gives them a day off!
At this point, Adam and Eve have achieved absolutely nothing. And because at that time the world was not fallen, they’re not even tired! But God wanted them to grasp a foundational principle.
We humans are designed to work from rest, not rest from work.
We are not divine! Only God can work and work and then rest. If we do that, we’ll mess up. Instead, we are always to start from a place of rest.
(Of course, it’s probably fair to say that God always works from a place of rest, it’s just Genesis 1 doesn’t tell us about anything prior to time beginning.)
Putting This Into Practice
The principle of working from rest impacts everything you do, and will shape your lifestyle. Here are some examples:
Every week, prioritize a day off. This means a whole day when you rest from your work, and do things that recreate you and honor God.
Of all the 10 Commandments, this is possibly the one that Christians most gleefully violate. We must stop doing that! Yes, we live in the new covenant, but the principle is still absolutely valid. Take a full rest day, and stop trying to diminish and trim it down. You are not that important! Graveyards are full of indispensable people! So stop being disobedient to God’s clear instruction, and do life His way.
Every day have both work and rest times. This includes daily devotions, healthy eating, time for relationships, exercising well, doing things that renew you. Yes, there is always more work to be done - and some days we will need to put in that extra shift. But that is not meant to be a permanent lifestyle choice!
Perhaps the most obvious example of daily rest is sleep. When we pretend that “I’m the sort of person who only needs a little sleep”, we are breaking at least two more commandments (idolatry and lying!!). Sleep is a gift from God, so embrace it as part of your healthy daily rhythm.
Seaonally/ annually, plan well ahead for your vacation times. Too often we run until we’re exhausted and then think about time off. That is falling into the same trap of idolatry (trusting in my own strength rather than the Lord’s).
We’ve always urged teams we lead to look ahead on their calendars and pre-plan when would be the wisest times for them to have some time off, to ensure that they can be most productive over the year as a whole.
For example, we encourage ongoing missional communities/ house churches/ micro churches etc not to run at the same tempo for 12 months. It is wise to have a month where either you don’t gather formally at all, or only in a very lightweight way. Obvious times of year are Christmas or mid-summer, depending on who you are reaching.
Here’s the Full Video:
Homework on Increasing Your Productivity
Where specifically do you need to work more from rest?
What is your inner fear that holds you back from embracing this lifestyle?
Who can help you be accountable for living like this? Now go tell them!!
