Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work
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Overview
Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he pulls his insights into a thoughtful and practical book for readers everywhere.
With deep conviction and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about work today. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.
- Provides compelling arguments for the ongoing relevance of Christian belief in society
- Addresses key practical questions all Christians wrestle with in their journey of faith
Top Highlights
“According to the Bible, we don’t merely need the money from work to survive; we need the work itself to survive and live fully human lives.” (Page 38)
“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.” (Pages 34–35)
“Christians should be aware of this revolutionary understanding of the purpose of their work in the world. We are not to choose jobs and conduct our work to fulfill ourselves and accrue power, for being called by God to do something is empowering enough. We are to see work as a way of service to God and our neighbor, and so we should both choose and conduct our work in accordance with that purpose. The question regarding our choice of work is no longer ‘What will make me the most money and give me the most status?’ The question must now be ‘How, with my existing abilities and opportunities, can I be of greatest service to other people, knowing what I do of God’s will and of human need?’” (Page 67)
“In order to work in this way—to get the consolation and freedom that Tolkien received from his Christian faith for his work—you need to know the Bible’s answers to three questions: Why do you want to work? (That is, why do we need to work in order to lead a fulfilled life?) Why is it so hard to work? (That is, why is it so often fruitless, pointless, and difficult?) How can we overcome the difficulties and find satisfaction in our work through the gospel? The rest of this book will seek to answer those three questions in its three sections, respectively.” (Page 30)
Most people sitting in the pews of our churches on a Sunday morning spend more time in the workplace than anywhere else. Yet we can too easily make following Christ a matter of personal devotions and church activity... This is great book on an important area that is too often neglected.
— Tim Chester, pastor at Grace Church, Boroughbridge, UK
Like so many life issues for Christians, the word balance is instructive when it comes to work. Every Good Endeavor deftly explains how we can relish and enjoy our work while honoring God and serving others, all the while avoiding the extremes of negativity on the one hand and idolatry on the other.
— The Gospel Coalition
This book is theologically rich and philosophically informed, yet accessible and filled with practical wisdom.
—Comment
- Title: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work
- Authors: Timothy Keller, Katherine Leary Alsdorf
- Publisher: Dutton
- Print Publication Date: 2012
- Logos Release Date: 2016
- Pages: 336
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Work › Religious aspects--Christianity; Work › Biblical teaching; Work › History of doctrines; Employees › Religious life; Vocation › Christianity
- ISBNs: 9780525952701, 0525952705
- Resource ID: LLS:VRYGDNDVRGDSWRK
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:39:56Z
Timothy Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He was first a pastor in Hopewell, Virginia. In 1989 he started Redeemer Presbyterian Church, in New York City. Today, Redeemer has more than five thousand regular Sunday attendees and has helped to start over 250 new churches around the world. He has authored numerous bestsellers, including Every Good Endeavor, The Meaning of Marriage, Generous Justice, Counterfeit Gods, The Prodigal God, Jesus the King, and The Reason for God, Timothy Keller lives in New York City with his family.