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Why Your Work Matters
Americans spend a majority of their waking hours working, whether paid or unpaid. Due to rapidly advancing technology, hybrid work, shifts in the economy, and more, the working world has become an increasingly complex place to navigate.
In this newly expanded and updated version of his 2011 book, Work Matters, author and pastor Tom Nelson wrestles with the latest trends and dynamics of work, including remote work, work-life balance, technology, the meaning of Sabbath, and working for the common good.
Nelson explores the grand story of work in the Bible, revealing that all work matters in God’s economy and that Christians can love and serve their neighbors no matter what they do for their daily vocation. He helps readers discover that their work matters deeply—not just now but for eternity.
Why Your Work Matters contains 70% new material and has been updated throughout. It includes six new chapters and a new introduction
In this newly expanded and updated version of his 2011 book, Work Matters, author and pastor Tom Nelson wrestles with the latest trends and dynamics of work, including remote work, work-life balance, technology, the meaning of Sabbath, and working for the common good.
Nelson explores the grand story of work in the Bible, revealing that all work matters in God’s economy and that Christians can love and serve their neighbors no matter what they do for their daily vocation. He helps readers discover that their work matters deeply—not just now but for eternity.
Why Your Work Matters contains 70% new material and has been updated throughout. It includes six new chapters and a new introduction
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 8, 2025
6 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Tom Nelson
92 books1 followerTom Nelson is an award-winning author and speaker and the founding pastor of Christ Community Church, a large multisite church in Kansas City. He is founder and executive chairman of the national nonprofit Made to Flourish, which helps church leaders equip their people for everyday life in the workplace and the economy. He also is a founding council member of The Gospel Coalition and previously served on the leadership team of the Oikonomia Network. Nelson and his wife, Liz, have two grown children and live in Leawood, Kansas
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 26, 2025
I have enjoyed each of the author’s books, including his 2011 book Work Matters. The author, a pastor and founder of the Made to Flourish organization, writes that much has changed in the world and in the world of work since the publication of that book which needs thoughtful reflection. In this new edition of Work Matters, the author has added some additional wisdom he has gained as a result of being immersed in, and having a voice in, the broader faith and work conversation.
The book is organized as follows:
Chapters 1-5 – The author explores God’s work story.
Chapters 6-10 – The author explores how your Monday world is a primary place of worship, meaning, and growth.
Each chapter closes with “A Prayer for Our Work” and helpful “Questions for Reflection and Discussion”. Throughout the book, the author shares illustrations from his experiences as a pastor and leader of the Made to Flourish organization.
Among the many topics addressed in the book are God as a worker, sabbath, work dualism, vocation, loving our neighbors, burnout, sleep, career formation, calling, giftedness, career maturation, retirement, unemployment, technology, artificial intelligence, and remote work.
Like Work Matters, Why Work Matters is a helpful book about our work and how to integrate it with our faith. The questions for reflection and discussion are helpful when reading and discussing the book with others.
Below are 15 of my favorite quotes from the book:
• God could have initially revealed himself in Scripture in any number of ways, but he chose to reveal himself first as a worker, a creator of the heavens and earth.
• Our work, whatever God has called us to do, whatever it is, wherever it is done, whether or not we are paid for it, is our God-honoring, loving, beauty-making contribution to others and to the world.
• Work undertaken as God designed it is a form of worship.
• Sabbath is a space for delight and celebration, restoring the soul and fostering intimacy with God and others.
• When we wrongly distinguish one type of work from another, placing value on some types of work at the expense of others, we fall into the distortion of work dualism.
• There is no more sacred space than the workplace where God has called you to serve him as you love your neighbor and serve the common good.
• A large part of stewarding our vocational callings in the workplace is faithfully showing up every day and living out the gospel by doing good work and being exemplary workers.
• Your skills and abilities will not be wasted; they will be utilized and further developed in the future work God has for you to do in the new heavens and new earth.
• Having an audience of one means we practice the presence of God as we go about our day and enjoy an ongoing conversation with him in our workplaces.
• It is in our ordinary day-to-day lives of work, rest, and play that we are to flourish, to be salt and light, to be spiritually formed, and to be God’s redemptive agents in the world.
• Your workplace is holy ground because God is with you and because the work you do unto him and for the good of others is itself a beautiful act of worship.
• Your work is one of God’s greatest gifts for your spiritual formation and maturity.
• The most important place of your spiritual growth is where God has already placed you on Monday.
• The weekly Sabbath rhythm is an unhurried and undistracted time for nurturing relationships with God and others.
• Retirement is not about self-absorption; it is about God-honoring stewardship.
The book is organized as follows:
Chapters 1-5 – The author explores God’s work story.
Chapters 6-10 – The author explores how your Monday world is a primary place of worship, meaning, and growth.
Each chapter closes with “A Prayer for Our Work” and helpful “Questions for Reflection and Discussion”. Throughout the book, the author shares illustrations from his experiences as a pastor and leader of the Made to Flourish organization.
Among the many topics addressed in the book are God as a worker, sabbath, work dualism, vocation, loving our neighbors, burnout, sleep, career formation, calling, giftedness, career maturation, retirement, unemployment, technology, artificial intelligence, and remote work.
Like Work Matters, Why Work Matters is a helpful book about our work and how to integrate it with our faith. The questions for reflection and discussion are helpful when reading and discussing the book with others.
Below are 15 of my favorite quotes from the book:
• God could have initially revealed himself in Scripture in any number of ways, but he chose to reveal himself first as a worker, a creator of the heavens and earth.
• Our work, whatever God has called us to do, whatever it is, wherever it is done, whether or not we are paid for it, is our God-honoring, loving, beauty-making contribution to others and to the world.
• Work undertaken as God designed it is a form of worship.
• Sabbath is a space for delight and celebration, restoring the soul and fostering intimacy with God and others.
• When we wrongly distinguish one type of work from another, placing value on some types of work at the expense of others, we fall into the distortion of work dualism.
• There is no more sacred space than the workplace where God has called you to serve him as you love your neighbor and serve the common good.
• A large part of stewarding our vocational callings in the workplace is faithfully showing up every day and living out the gospel by doing good work and being exemplary workers.
• Your skills and abilities will not be wasted; they will be utilized and further developed in the future work God has for you to do in the new heavens and new earth.
• Having an audience of one means we practice the presence of God as we go about our day and enjoy an ongoing conversation with him in our workplaces.
• It is in our ordinary day-to-day lives of work, rest, and play that we are to flourish, to be salt and light, to be spiritually formed, and to be God’s redemptive agents in the world.
• Your workplace is holy ground because God is with you and because the work you do unto him and for the good of others is itself a beautiful act of worship.
• Your work is one of God’s greatest gifts for your spiritual formation and maturity.
• The most important place of your spiritual growth is where God has already placed you on Monday.
• The weekly Sabbath rhythm is an unhurried and undistracted time for nurturing relationships with God and others.
• Retirement is not about self-absorption; it is about God-honoring stewardship.
December 16, 2025
This is was not good and I don’t recommend reading it. I read this for my small group at church and we had some good discussions in group, but definitely not because this book was good.
This book is about a person’s calling, career, and how God is shaping you spiritually in your professional roles. The author tried to incorporate scripture, but the examples used were always a stretch. Scripture does talk greatly about work, but this author did not do a good job of reflecting that.
I did have some good takeaways during the book so it wasn’t a complete waste of time (1 ⭐️) and this was the best of it: “While we are wise to prayerfully plan in the career-formation season, the most important thing is being faithful each and every day where God has presently called us to serve him, trusting that he will guide us. Wisdom invites us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, to acknowledge him in all our ways, and to have confidence that he will direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6).”
This book is about a person’s calling, career, and how God is shaping you spiritually in your professional roles. The author tried to incorporate scripture, but the examples used were always a stretch. Scripture does talk greatly about work, but this author did not do a good job of reflecting that.
I did have some good takeaways during the book so it wasn’t a complete waste of time (1 ⭐️) and this was the best of it: “While we are wise to prayerfully plan in the career-formation season, the most important thing is being faithful each and every day where God has presently called us to serve him, trusting that he will guide us. Wisdom invites us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, to acknowledge him in all our ways, and to have confidence that he will direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6).”
November 2, 2025
3.5 ⭐ The content was good, but I think it probably could've probably been a blog post with how repetitive it was
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews