Recommended: Work, Calling, & Vocation

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Most of us spend the majority of our waking hours in some form of labor, yet it’s often hard to connect that daily grind with the call of Christ. Scripture insists, though, that our work is not meaningless. From the beginning, God gave humanity the task of cultivating creation (Gen. 1:28). Paul reminds believers to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col. 3:23–24). Even the most ordinary tasks can be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), and in Christ we are “created…for good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Eph. 2:10).

Still, it’s not easy. Work is often frustrating, tiring, or unjust. Some of us are tempted to make it an idol; others see it as just a paycheck. The gospel charts a better way: Christ redeems our labor, dignifies even small tasks, and promises that nothing done in His name is in vain. The following books have helped me see work and calling through that lens. They avoid both shallow careerism and false sacred/secular divides. Instead, they ground vocation in God’s design and point us toward hope, perseverance, and joy in our daily callings.

Every Good Endeavor – Timothy Keller (with Katherine Leary Alsdorf)
Keller shows how the gospel transforms the way we view and do our work. Drawing from Genesis, Ecclesiastes, and Colossians, he explains how work is part of God’s original design, why it is now marked by frustration, and how Christ redeems it with eternal purpose.

How Then Should We Work? – Hugh Whelchel
Whelchel presents a clear, biblical theology of work in a short, accessible form. He explains how vocation connects to the grand story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, giving believers a framework for seeing their jobs as part of God’s mission.

The Call – Os Guinness
Guinness’s classic book reflects on the nature of calling: that God calls us first to Himself, and then to serve Him in every aspect of life. With depth and clarity, he critiques cultural distortions of careerism and urges Christians to embrace vocation as a summons from God.

God at Work – Gene Edward Veith Jr.
Veith recovers Martin Luther’s doctrine of vocation for today, emphasizing how God works through ordinary callings—family, work, citizenship, and church—to serve neighbor and glorify Himself.

Work and Our Labor in the Lord – James M. Hamilton Jr.
This short volume traces the theme of work across the storyline of Scripture—creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Compact but deeply biblical, it’s a great introduction to a theology of work.

The Gospel at Work – Sebastian Traeger & Greg Gilbert
Traeger and Gilbert challenge believers to avoid both idolatry of work and idleness in work. Instead, they show how to see one’s job as a context for serving Christ and others. Accessible and practical, it’s especially good for young professionals.

Kingdom Calling – Amy L. Sherman
Sherman explores how Christians can steward their vocations for the sake of the common good. She grounds her vision in Scripture and offers practical guidance for aligning professional work with God’s mission in the world.

Business for the Glory of God – Wayne Grudem
Grudem shows how business activities—ownership, employment, profit, competition, lending, and more—can glorify God when carried out rightly. Brief but packed with biblical reasoning, this book helps believers see commerce as a field for faithful discipleship.

Made for More – Hannah Anderson
Anderson connects vocation to identity, reminding readers that who we are in Christ comes before what we do. Her reflections help believers see work not just as a job but as a way of bearing God’s image in everyday life.

Visions of Vocation – Steven Garber
Garber reflects on how Christians can sustain faithfulness in a broken world. He insists that vocation is not just about “what job should I do?” but about loving God and neighbor with endurance, even when the world resists.

Your Work Matters to God – Doug Sherman & William Hendricks
One of the earlier evangelical treatments of vocation, this book makes a clear case that all honest work is service to God. Its emphasis on dignity and meaning helped pave the way for many of the modern resources on this list.

Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation – William Placher (ed.)
A historical anthology tracing how the church has thought about calling from the early fathers through the Reformers to the modern era. Not exclusively Reformed, but helpful for context and perspective.

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Disclaimer: The resources listed here have been selected because they offer particular value for Christian growth and understanding. Their inclusion does not imply full agreement with every statement or position taken by the authors. As with any book outside of Scripture, readers should exercise discernment, testing all things by the Word of God (Acts 17:11).