“Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.”

What’s appears to be holding up corporate earnings is the record-high level of labor productivity. This would be no surprise to anyone who is working a job where they are doing not only the work that they were doing three years ago, but also the work of one or more other people who no longer work at the company. The same, or more is getting done with less. This increased output is call productivity. Corporations are hooked on it right now and that addiction is not likely to go away. This explains why even with revenue and price levels returning to pre-2008 that we see unemployment still so high. The other contributor to productivity is technology and how it replaces labor and speeds output. It is true that the Great Recession may have finally been the time when the workforce was finally rationalized to consider technology advances. Productivity may not be able to get any higher, but for sure it is a major driver today in our economy’s recovery.

Productivity as it is defined by God’s Word is also about working to meet needs but not against the same standards that we see in the business world. Doing a little more for the bottom line is the same, but the bottom line that we are trying to serve is much bigger and eternal. Our productivity standard is how well we meet the needs of others and how urgently we do so that they can also be productive in their service to the Lord. Today, how productive are we being for the cause of bringing Glory to God and expanding His Kingdom? It is right that we should question ourselves each day and course correct for that increased productivity!

Reference: Titus 3:14 (New Living Testament)