Productivity

How can we be more productive Christian's?

• Titus 3 v 12-15
• This is the end of the three pastoral letters, Paul is soon to die and this information and teaching is invaluable to Timothy and Titus as they lead in the churches.
• Paul just kept giving as he sent one of his close friends either Artemas or Tychicus.
• Paul encourages Titus to be generous to Zenas and Apollos as they go on their way.
• Paul finishes the letter by mentioning those people specifically but focuses on being devoted to God and doing His good works will lead to productive lives. 
• When Paul was talking about doing the good works of God I think this covered a wide spectrum of things i.e. miracles (healings, multiplication...), helping the needy, supporting others, honouring and supporting our leaders, using our gifts and so on.
• How can we best be productive at doing God's good works?
• I think we need to do three main things.
• 1.  We need to prepare well.
• Jesus teaches us about preparing ourselves for living the life by modelling it as a child, Luke 2 v 46 – “After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.”  
• We need to prepare ourselves by spending time in God’s word and prayer to strengthen our relationship with him. We need to prepare well. 
• We need to prepare for the opportunities to do well and do it knowing what God wants you to do in that situation.
• 2.  We need to do the day in, day out living out lives for God. 
• This is what Jesus talked in Matthew 22 v 37-39 – “³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” 
• This could be just going to school or work and sharing your faith, loving others and serving others. 
• I could just train missionaries and pastor them but if I do it without the presence and purpose of God then it has a lot less effectiveness. 
• How we live our day to day lives as Christians effects how we take the opportunities to do good.
• 3.  We need to go the extra mile. 
• Jesus also talked about going the extra mile, Matthew 5 v 41 – “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
• We all have different opportunities come our way where we have time to think and decide whether to do this as our extra mile. 
• Whatever it is we have the opportunity to go the extra in love.
• Jesus wants us to do good as our extra mile.
• I believe these three things will help us to be productive in doing Good, because if we continuously miss opportunity to good then our productivity will go down.
• The question is - which of the three areas do I need to work to be more productive for the Kingdom of God?