The Christian life is not something we approach passively. Vigor must mark our pursuit of the kingdom, as we joyfully pursue bearing much fruit, numbering our days, and stewarding our time. 

The world’s vision of personal productivity promises to help you make more money, secure greater fulfillment, and achieve your desires—it’s personal productivity for personal gain. However, Christians see God’s glory as their ultimate aim, and they see productivity as a set of skills to maximize their effectiveness in reaching that end.

Because productivity is often associated with worldly ambition, believers can be tempted to write off the topic as something reserved for the business world or for those who have an ungodly obsession with avarice and achievement. The truth, however, is that there is no group for whom productivity is more important than Christians. Believers in Jesus Christ can leverage the skill of personal productivity to bring glory to God in at least three ways.

1. Personal productivity helps believers glorify God by making us more intentional in bearing the fruit of good works.

In John 15, Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to teach His disciples how good works are a byproduct of their union with Christ, saying: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The fruit of good works comes via our connection with Christ, the true vine. But Jesus goes further, stating, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). Here, He connects the bearing of much fruit with glorifying God the Father. To be productive in bearing the fruit of good works is to bring glory to God.

Personal productivity certainly does not replace our connection with the vine in fruit-bearing. It can, however, act as a trellis for our fruit-bearing. Connected to Christ, Christians can grow in the skills of goal setting, time management, and prioritization in our efforts to bring glory to God.

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