Every Good Endeavor: Module 3 (Chapter 3 and 4)

In his book Every Good Endeavor Timothy Keller invites us to think about the creation of culture.
When God set up the Garden of Eden, Keller compares it to raising a child. Everything necessary, and
good, for healthy growth was there. And, ultimately, with the creation of Eve and her marriage to
Adam, there was the foundation of society in general. In Gen. 1:28 God commands humans to fill the
earth and subdue it. This does not just mean to fill it with people, but means civilization. God does not
just want human people, he wants human society.
The second part of God's command, to subdue creation, is given to us before the fall. This is
important, because it shows us that God had intended from the beginning to include us in the work of
cultivation. He has placed the earth under our care, so that we would continue doing what he had
already been doing: working to bring something organized and defined out of what is there. Indeed,
God created the world to need work. Everything that was created was good, but by no means finished.
Every time we bring order out of chaos we participate in this work of cultivation. When an artist brings
images out of the elements of paint and canvas, or when a musician combines different sounds and
melodies to create a song, or when a farmer rearranges and plants crops this command of cultivation is
being accomplished. Our everyday work, no matter the task, has the dignity of being based on God's
own work.
In chapter four Keller begins to show us that it is through the writings of Paul in the New Testament
that God gives us purpose for our work, by calling us to serve the world. Keller also points out that
Paul advises Christians to serve God in whichever situation the Lord has assigned to them. All work
is the work of God, not just work in the ministry. Just like the spiritual gifts God gives us for building
up the Body of the Church, he also gives us talents and abilities for various kinds of work, so that we
can build up society.
To begin thinking about this idea, and how we are to live this out in our jobs, we must try to see our
current situation as where God has placed us, and where he has called us to currently serve. Keller
advises us to ask ourselves a question when considering our jobs: 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?
One important detail that Keller emphasizes is that we do competent work. The best way to love your
neighbor is by doing the job you have been called to do as well as it can be done. If you see your daily
work as an act of worship to God, you ought to be inspired to do excellent work.
Scripture:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing
that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:28 (NIV)
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the groundtrees that were pleasing to the eye and
good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.

Genesis 2:8-9 (NIV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16
And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you
must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will
certainly die.
18 The Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He
brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living
creature, that was its name.20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all
the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep
sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the mans ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to
the man.
Genesis 15-22 (NIV)
Austin Reflection:
I work at a hotel, which is part of one of the large chains. It's often not a terribly glamorous job. This
chapter of Keller's book invited me to look again at how I was treating my work. I knew that God had
placed me in that particular hotel lobby, and that he was keeping me there, but for what reason I did not
know. It is easy to merely go through my day and perform my function. I have the technical skills (after
a few years of using their computer systems) to easily perform a check in. There is hardly a request that
I haven't heard, nor one that I couldn't do quickly. As I began to look at my work as service to the
people who come to the hotel I started to think more about my interactions with those people.
My competency with the computer system gives me the freedom to make conversation, and to
genuinely welcome people who are there. It's something that often gets forgotten in the hospitality
industry. The hospitality part. If my work is to be an act of worship to God then I must not only be
good at the technical side of my job, I must treat those I'm serving as human beings. I have to refuse to
allow the check in to become merely a robotic interaction where I check ID and take their money. I
must constantly remind myself that although this is one of many check ins that I'll have in a given day,
my effort to connect with this human being can truly make a difference. If I use my skills to get them a
nicer room it could make their one vacation this year memorable.
I work in the service sector, so it's a little easier for me to see how my work can serve my neighbors.
I have had opportunities to witness to coworkers, and to genuinely welcome guest to the hotel, but I am
starting to recognize that God is using my competency to support my coworkers. I get the freedom to
help others and have become a recognized resource for all types of questions, and in that I see that God
is working through me to teach the people around me. I hope that my attitude towards difficult guests
does the same thing as well.
Questions:

Has God assigned you to the place you are now? What do you think of your current job? Do you think
God called you to work there?
What are the things I am really good at? Is my current job utilizing those for the good of my
community?
Is my work excellent? Am I doing competent work? Is my day-to-day work an offering of worship to
God? Why, or why not? How can I see my work as a work offering to God?
Should I be doing the work I find myself doing? Why, or why not? Ask yourself this on the level of
morally, and idealistically. Is what I make money doing right? Is this the best place for me to be
working? Am I a gifted teacher, yet I've chosen banking because it pays better?