Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 1 Corinthians 9:26 (NIV)

“We aren’t just marking time here on earth. God has given us purposes to fulfill, he requires us to fulfill them, and we will be held accountable for doing so. Productivity is not simply a subject that is fascinating or that helps make our lives easier. It is, at root, a biblical concern and a fundamental issue before God. The innate desire we have to be productive and do useful things is an echo of this.” ― Matt Perman, What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

Recently while reading Matt Perman’s book “What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done” the passage above from 1 Corinthians 9:26 (NIV) took on a new meaning. I can think of this verse and running “Aimlessly” as living a life apart from God. While this is true, there is also a great amount of further significance beyond that for those who follow Jesus. As followers of Jesus it is also possible to focus on the wrong things and run in a way that is aimless and not full of purpose.

“Embracing the truth that God accepts us apart from good works is the precise thing that causes us to excel in good works . . . the only way to be productive is to realize that you don’t have to be.”― Matt Perman, What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

Not being aimless but productive is rooted in our understanding that it is impossible to do this in our own accord or that it is something we produce in and of ourselves either. How we allow God to shape our character to look more like Jesus is the purpose of true productivity. From this developed character comes an increase in our ability to do good for others. It is this “others-centered” life formed from Jesus’ character, that gives life purpose and keeps it from being aimless.

“Aimless, unproductive Christians contradict the creative, purposeful, powerful, merciful God we love.”― Matt Perman, What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done

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