Sheldonville Baptist Church
December 28, 2025

      • Luke 2:8–18NKJV

  • Angels from the Realms of Glory
  • Away In A Manger
  • What Can I Give Him
  • Go Tell it on the Mountain
  • Our God Reigns
  • Majesty
  • You Are My All In All

  • Pop Quiz

    I’d like to start this morning with a pop quiz. Don’t worry, the only person you will need to share your answers with is yourself. I just want to know if you know the answers. And there is no shame if you don’t know, or aren’t sure, that is why we are here.
    By a show of hands, how many of you know, or think you know, what spiritual disciplines are?
    By a show of hands, how many of you know, or think you know, what productivity is?
    By a show of hands, how many of you think that productivity is, or could be, a spiritual discipline?
    Admittedly, I kind of led you on that last one. Honestly, productivity and spiritual disciplines seldom, if ever, come up in the same conversation. I think they should. And this morning, as many of are thinking about 2026 and what it might look like, I would like to make a high-level case for productivity as a spiritual discipline that could be beneficial to all believers.

    Spiritual Disciplines

    The topic of spiritual disciplines at least sounds church-ey. We probably don’t talk or think about spiritual disciplines enough, so defining them seems an intuitive place to start.

    Spiritual Disciplines Defined

    Spiritual disciplines are intentional practices that foster spiritual growth [Cheryl Taylor]. Believers have long linked the desire for more of God (for lack of a better expression) to intentional practices and experiences that are collectively known as spiritual disciplines [Adele Ahlberg Calhoun].

    The existence of desire

    Practicing Basic Spiritual Disciplines Introduction: The Strength of the Believer

    “At no time do we find the Lord calling His people to be weak in spiritual power, wavering in purpose, or wandering aimlessly through life. We are called, rather, to be strong in faith, certain of our salvation, and sure of our direction and eternal destiny.” Charles Stanley

    There is something within us that yearns to grow closer to God. We may not always understand it, nor do we always understand how to obtain it. But we know, deep within ourselves, that we want it.

    The expression of desire

    The Psalmist gives voice to our desire:
    Psalm 42:1–2 NKJV
    1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

    The exercise of desire

    The practices and Spiritual disciplines give process to the pursuit of our desire allowing us to achieve it to varying degrees.

    Spiritual Disciplines Defended

    Spiritual growth is natural

    Colossians 2:6–7 NKJV
    6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

    Spiritual growth is commanded

    2 Peter 3:18 NKJV
    18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

    Spiritual growth is documented

    Acts 2:41–47 NKJV
    41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
    Notice the practices and experiences, (aka spiritual disciplines), mentioned here:
    baptism
    membership or joining or belonging
    learning of, and living out, doctrine
    fellowship with other believers
    communion
    prayer
    sacrifice
    generosity
    worship
    more fellowship
    gladness
    simplicity
    praise/worship
    witnessing
    The effect of these practices was the spiritual and physical growth of the church, the demonstration of the power of God, and the influence of the church and its members within the community.

    Spiritual Disciplines Demonstrated

    It is easy to get lost in abstraction, so I want to utilize a singular, basic spiritual discipline as a demonstration: Bible reading.
    Most believers—in their desire to know God more—understand that reading the Bible is a way to fulfill that desire.
    Actually reading the Bible is practicing a spiritual discipline.
    While reading the Bible is practicing a spiritual discipline, most of us want more than just random passages read at random times. We want a little structure or organization to our reading. Whether we know it or not, the desire for structure leads us directly into the realm productivity which—when rightly understood and rightly practiced—is the spiritual discipline that provides structure for the pursuit of other spiritual disciplines.

    Productivity

    The topic of productivity does not sound all that church-ey. You’ve probably heard me mention it a time or two as it has been an interest of mine since Kate introduced me to Day Timer in the late 90’s (and not surprisingly, we had his and hers matching day timers.) Here again, I think defining our term is the best place to start.

    Productivity Defined

    Digging into the literature, you might find many assumed meanings, but for my purposes, productivity is the systematic pursuit of outcomes.
    That is a simple definition. And it is good if you understand what it means. But I think it probably requires some explanation…so maybe it’s not a great definition (but I still like it).

    Outcomes explained

    An outcome is simply anything that I want to accomplish.
    Losing twenty pounds is an outcome.
    Learning to play an instrument is an outcome.
    Making a million dollars in sales revenue is an outcome.
    Having a good relationship with my wife and children is an outcome.
    Making it to a birthday party on time, with a gift, is an outcome.
    And coming back to our singular, basic spiritual discipline: reading your Bible is an outcome
    Outcomes—the things you want to accomplish—can often be vague or high-level but they can also be specific or granular.

    Pursuit explained

    Pursuit simply indicates activity, as opposed to passivity. I must do something to accomplish the outcomes I want.
    I watch what I eat and exercise to achieve my weight loss outcome.
    I set aside practice time to achieve my instrument outcome.
    Let's be real: I have no idea how to achieve a million dollars in sales revenue, but I bet it takes a lot of work!
    I spend both quality and quantity time with my wife and children to accomplish relational outcomes
    I buy a present and physically go the birthday party
    And coming back to our singular, basic spiritual discipline: I read my Bible to accomplish the outcome of having read my Bible (I no, it’s not rocket science but it is pursuit)

    Systematic explained

    Systematic simply means that I am organizing my actions in some way to ensure that I achieve the outcomes I want.
    For instance, making it to a birthday party on time and with a gift requires organization several actions for most of us:
    I need to buy a gift, so that probably landed on a task list.
    I need to remember when (and where) the birthday party is, so that probably landed on my calendar.
    Calendars and task lists parts of an organization system that allows me to pursue and achieve the outcomes I want.
    You could follow the same process for any outcome. The more vague, high-level, or complex an outcome is to accomplish, the more systematic steps you will need to accomplish is.

    Defintion Reassembled

    The systematic pursuit of outcomes is a good definition and the most effective way to actually accomplish what you want to accomplish.

    Productivity Defended

    The push-back at this point is that productivity sounds like self-help, and is not spiritual enough to talk about in church or amongst believers. I disagree.

    We are told to redeem the time

    Ephesians 5:15–16 NKJV
    15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
    The concept here of buying back our time is time-management. This is productivity.

    We are told to walk wisely or circumspectly

    Colossians 4:5–6 NKJV
    5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
    Walking, or living, wisely and circumspectly is living and acting with intelligence and intentionality. This is productivity.

    We are told to pursue outcomes to the glory of God

    1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
    31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
    Pursuing outcomes to the glory of God is productivity. And it is important. If we do not start from a place of desiring to glorify God with our lives, we will end up at a place of trying to satisfy or glorify self with out lives.
    If you get into productivity literature, it is not hard to end up there. Christians have ceded the landscape to Buddhists, Mormons, and Secularists to such a degree that glorifying God is not in the picture. Christians who simply want to get things done effectively and efficiently end up in a self-satisfying place because they fail to see productivity as something that can, and should, bring glory to God.

    Productivity Demonstrated

    Coming back to our singular, basic spiritual discipline of reading our Bible, we might find it more complex than we originally supposed:
    We have to secure a Bible (probably not a hardship, but it could be), this is a task.
    We have to find or make a plan for reading: there are 245 chapters in the New Testament, you’re not going to accomplish that in one sitting, and the read-time of the whole Bible is somewhere in the 72 hour range. Your’re going to have to clarify what you want to read and set that as your goal.
    You’re going to need to decide how much you’re going to read at a time. Reading one chapter of the New Testament each day, Monday through Friday, will allow you to read the entire New Testament in one year. Reading one chapter each day is a task.
    You’re going to need to set aside some scheduled time to read. We all know that if we don’t specify to ourselves when we’re going to do it, it likely won’t get done. This requires scheduling.
    You’re probably hoping to build a habit of Bible-reading because you want it to be a regular part of who you are.
    Goal-setting, scheduling, task management, and habit formation are all bread and butter productivity topics!
    Conclusion
    You do not need to become a productivity nerd to be a good Christian! But you do need to pursue some spiritual disciplines if you want to grow as a believer. We would probably all agree that a growing believer is a good believer and that a believer who is not growing in some way is probably not living up to what they could or should.
    The intentional pursuit of outcomes at some level is necessary if you want to grow as a person and as a believer. The level of detail you utilize in your pursuit of spiritual disciplines will be up to you. But being intentional and at least a little systematic is essential.
    That is why I think productivity is not only a worthwhile pursuit, I think it is a spiritual discipline. I think it could even be the most foundational spiritual discipline as it facilitates the pursuit of other spiritual disciplines.
    At the very least, a smattering of productivity could help turn a New Year’s resolution to read the Bible into a plan of action that enables you to actually read the Bible. That desire does not need to end up in the graveyard of unkept resolutions. That is worth a little thought as we head into 2026.

      • Psalm 42:1–2NKJV

      • Colossians 2:6–7NKJV

      • 2 Peter 3:18NKJV

      • Acts 2:41–47NKJV

      • Ephesians 5:15–16NKJV

      • Colossians 4:5–6NKJV

      • 1 Corinthians 10:31NKJV

  • Arise Shine
Sheldonville Baptist Church
information@sheldonvillebaptist.org
(508) 384-2397
http://sheldonvillebaptist.org
8 members • 1 follower