How to Live a Productive Life According to the Bible

We want to make our lives count and feel useful. Right? All of us have a deep desire to make a difference in the world. But let’s be honest: 

Not All of Us are Productive 

Why?

It is because most of us don’t see ourselves for who we are. We have knowingly or unknowingly allowed the world to define us instead of God, and this has affected our productivity levels.

But here is the truth:

You’re not an accident. God ordained you before the foundation of the world to be here at such a time so that you can bear fruit. So all of us are here on assignment. 

Do you believe that?

It doesn’t matter what other people have told you. They may have called you an accident or useless, but that is not true. You are God’s child, and He has placed you on earth for a great purpose. So don’t measure yourself by others, but by your potential in Jesus. (John 15:16)

Other Christians struggle with productivity because they don’t know how to balance life. Some are productive in their spiritual lives only. Others focus on family, work, and social life and are less productive in their spiritual lives.

We need to balance

To fulfil the plans God has for you, you need to become a productive Christian.

God is responsible for what He gives us, but we are responsible for what we do with what He has given us. Productivity brings glory to God. It shows that you’re a disciple of Christ, and it enables you to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God. (John 15:8)

Unfortunately, many people are limping through life, doing what they are supposed to do half-heartedly. That is not for you, child of God. 

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” – Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV)

You will be happier when you become productive in life.

But How Do You Live a Productive Life?

1. Know What You Want

To be productive, you need to know what you want in life. But how does one know what they want in this life?

By going to the source, that is God. He put you on this earth for a reason, so He knows what you need to be doing right now. 

But here is the thing:

God will not show you everything in one sitting; He will place desires that align with your purpose in your heart. If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, follow your heart desires, and keep praying so that God can make everything clear for you. 

Joshua was told to take the children of Israel to the Promised Land after the death of Moses. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he did what God told him to do. Jeremiah thought he was only a child, but God told him He ordained him to be a prophet before He formed him in his mother’s womb. (Jeremiah 1:6) 

Things don’t have to be clear at first for you to walk in your purpose. God will show you what to do as long as you focus on Him. Your purpose will enable you to live a productive life because you will work heartily. (Colossians 3:23) 

2. Have a Vision

The truth is:

You may know what God wants you to do on this earth but fail to walk in your purpose.

Why?

Lack of Vision.

Have a vision of where you are going and how to get there. Your vision doesn’t have to be like for your friend. You need to have one so that you can have a sense of direction in life.

God revealed His redemption plan for humanity to Abraham, Moses, and other great men in the Bible before it happened. He made His plans known through the prophets (Luke 24:25)

Write your vision down and come up with plans on how to achieve it. 

3. Focus On What You’re Good At

You can’t be good at everything. 

Instead of wasting time trying to do everything, focus on what you are good at, and delegate the rest.

The early church was multiplying, and the disciples had a lot to do. Issues started coming up, and some people felt left out. The apostles decided to delegate some activities so that they could focus on prayer and preaching of the word. (Acts 6:2-7)

Write down a list of activities that you love doing and those that you can delegate to others. Doing this will save you a lot of time and cause you to be very productive in life.

4. Give Value

In a world where success is measured by the type of car you have, the amount of money you make per hour, and the kind of house you have, it is easy for one to focus on making money than giving value. 

But here is the thing:

You can never have enough money in this life. There is always something that you want to have that requires money, which means you have to keep making money.

Being productive because of money or having fun will leave you frustrated with life. You will end up doing half-baked things to get ahead in life. You may get all the money in the world but feel discontented because making money is not the main reason why God created you. 

Giving value, on the other hand, will leave you contented on the inside. It will make you want to be the best version of yourself, and this will cause you to be more productive. 

Our Heavenly Father focused on value; that is why He gave up His only beloved Son for us. God didn’t give up His Son to people that deserved His great sacrifice. He did it before the while we were still sinners because He loves us so much and doesn’t want us to perish. (Romans 5:8)

Be an imitator of God by focusing on the right thing. You will become more productive when you focus on value.

5. Learn to Say

It is good to help people, but you need to know the difference between helping and being someone’s doormat.

Learn to say NO to some things because some may look great, but they may not be necessary. 

Some things steal our time and cause us not to be as effective as we would like to be. For example, it is great to catch up with your friends and chat with them, but you don’t have to do that during office hours or family time. 

You don’t have to slave in the office when you should be with your family, or you don’t have to keep selling your products on credit to a customer that never pays. You should not say ‘yes’ to family members who take advantage of your kindness.

Okay, it doesn’t mean you should become mean.

Ask God to grant you wisdom so that you can know how to say no. 

Our Lord Jesus was asked by the Pharisees to perform a miracle so that He could prove that He was the Messiah. This wasn’t a hard thing for Jesus to do, but He did not do what they wanted because He knew their intentions. Jesus was compassionate, but He was not a pushover. (Mark 8:11-13) 

Do not be a pushover!

6. Have a Routine

Routines sound dull and rigid, right?

Going with the flow may be fun and adventurous, but it makes you less productive in the long run because you will start your days with no sense of direction. 

A routine helps you to know what needs to be done first when you wake up, and this saves you time. It gives you a structure to follow and live by. 

Another reason why creating a routine is essential is it helps you build good habits and to drop bad ones.

Sticking to your routine will help you to do essential tasks first because you will prioritize them. It will also be easy to persist in life because routines help you build momentum. 

Jesus used to pray early in the morning when it was still dark. Doing so helped Him to know His Father’s will and what to do. His routine enabled Him to stay on track with His ministry, and He was able to do what His Father had sent Him to do within a short period. (Mark 1:35)

7. Reward Yourself

Rewarding yourself for being productive will keep you motivated.

You don’t have to reward yourself with big things that you cannot afford. Look for something small that you love, and when you accomplish a task or project, reward yourself with it.

It can be something as small as a cloth or shoes. Or you can reward yourself by taking a day off, dining out, or travelling. 

Pick a reward that will motivate you to be more productive. 

As Christians, we are motivated to be faithful to God and to walk in His purposes by the eternal rewards that He has set in place for us. At the end of time, God is going to reward each one of us for being good stewards of the resources that He has given us. Not just that, there are also blessings that God has given us through His Son Jesus that we get to enjoy here on earth. (Revelation 22:12)

Despite facing many challenges as children of God, we fight the good fight of faith because of God’s love, the blessings, and rewards He has promised us at the end of time. 

8. Rest

Sounds a bit confusing, right?

See, you can do everything with all your might, but this will only leave you feeling exhausted and discouraged. 

Take time off your schedule to rest. 

You can read a book, take a nap, travel or engage in any fun activity with your family. Doing this will leave you rejuvenated. It will also boost your energy levels and you will become more productive. 

Well, God has made it possible for His children to be more productive by granting them rest in Jesus.

Using your efforts to live a productive Christian life is pointless because there is nothing that you can do to be at the right standing with God. That God wants us to be productive does not in any way mean that productivity will make us righteous before Him.

Jesus has already made us righteous by shedding His blood at the cross.

We should find rest in what Jesus has done for us at the cross. The more you lean on Jesus for strength, the more productive you become. (Hebrews 4:11)

Jesus said that without Him, we can do nothing. It means that for Christians to be productive, they need to depend on Jesus to guide and lead them in all their endeavours. Whether you are a parent, student, professional, business person, or political leader, you need Jesus to help you.

See Him helping you in your studies, career, business, and home. Take your eyes off other people and yourself and focus on Jesus. He will help you to be productive and successful in all your endeavours. Not just that, your loving Saviour will reward you with great blessings. 

9. Manage Your Time Well

As much as God has promised us eternal life, He has not promised us tomorrow. We are here for a season. Your time on earth is valuable. You should not waste it on things that don’t add value to the kingdom of God. (Psalms 103:15-16)

If you don’t know how to manage your time, you can create a to-do-list or download a time management app on your phone. Make sure to use something that works for you for it to be effective. 

Do not be hard on yourself when you don’t finish your tasks within the set deadline. There is always a next time, so give yourself some grace. 

In conclusion:

We all want to be useful. God expects us to do everything with all our hearts. But in a world where material possessions and titles measure productivity, it is easy to lose track of God’s definition of productivity. There are so many things that we are supposed to do daily balancing our lives may prove to be challenging because of busyness.

The truth is being busy doesn’t make someone productive. We should set our priorities right if we want to be productive.

God has made us stewards of His resources. Productivity helps us to bear much fruit for the kingdom of God.

To live a productive Christian life, you need to have a vision, focus on giving value, and you should learn to say no, where possible. You need to focus on what you are good at and delegate the rest. To be a productive Christian, you will have to develop a routine, manage your time, reward yourself, and rest in Christ. 

You will be a happier Christian when you become productive in life.

What about you? Do you feel you have wasted your time and missed so many opportunities? I gave you 9 points of how to live a productive life. Is there anything particular you are struggling with?