Do you feel purposeful at work? Do you find work frustrating? Do you worry that you’re not fulfilling your potential in your vocation? Are you worried about not finding your “calling”? Do you keep bouncing from one job to another to find satisfaction? Are you a workaholic?
We spend more time working than we do anything else. For many of us, work extends far beyond the confines of “9 to 5”. It consumes so much of our time, mental and physical capacity, and yet many of us struggle with even seeing the point of our work sometimes. Some of us may find ourselves wishing we were somewhere else. Perhaps on a holiday, at home, longing for weekends, longing for early retirement, or in a different job.
In practical, relatable and biblically rich ways, Revolutionary Work by William Taylor addresses all of the above.
This book is one of the best books available on the biblical perspective of work and its purpose. William Taylor faithfully walks us through what the Bible says about work, what is the point of work and provides practical advice on how to go about our “9 to 5”.
This book helpfully takes us through Genesis 1-5, explaining that work is good, it is necessary and all work is dignified (not just jobs that gain the respect of society). However, work is also frustrating. Because of the Fall, we can never be truly satisfied in any job. That means even if we quit our boring jobs and became full-time travel bloggers, had regular flow of passive income, or became a celebrity, we will still find work frustrating because we live in a sin-stained and fallen world.
“Work is good – God made it, God is a worker, and he made us to work. But, following the Fall, work is grim. It is frustrating, painful and ultimately futile, and much damage is done by human beings as we work.”
William Taylor subsequently explains how this truth can be both sobering and liberating when seen through gospel lens. It is sobering because knowing that we can never be truly satisfied in any job means that even if we were ever able to have a “dream job”, it will not fully satisfy the desires of our hearts. It is liberating because through Jesus’ redemptive work on the Cross and the hope we have in Christ, we are able to see work from a different perspective. We are thus servants of Christ wherever we are.
“…our aim is not necessarily to get the best appraisal, or to make the most money for the company, or even to keep our job at all costs. Our aim is to please God; we have a higher goal.”
“What a liberating thought it is to know that we do not actually have to fulfil our potential at work. This is not what God expects of us. He is worried instead about who we are. What counts at work is not what we do or achieve but how we undertake our role and who we are serving.”
“Don’t be frightened. You are invincible at work, if you are setting godly priorities and seeking to implement them there, until Jesus doesn’t want you there. He is your real boss. You work for him.”
“My goal, then, is not to be the best I can be but to be Christ-like.”
I would recommend this book to all people who are working (whether full time or part time) those who are about to enter into the workforce, or ministry workers who would like to understand more of how to support workers in their ministry. It is a short and easy to read book (it was a series of sermons turned into a book). There is an appendix containing some questions the author had been asked which addresses many questions we are likely to have (definitely addressed some questions I had).
As someone who struggles regularly with the frustration of work, discontentment and the fear of not fulfilling my potential, I personally found this book very helpful in shaping how I go about working for the glory of my real boss, Jesus.
by Eunice Kiem
May 5, 2020