Busy Bees

The past few weeks have been filled with meetings, study sessions, classes, assignments, errands, occasional meals, and gallon after gallon of coffee! There have been so many things to do and places to go...after all if I don't get it all accomplished how will I get to my goals? That is the question that I believe has led many an overachiever to a divorce court, onto an operating table or into a nervous breakdown all because the pressure for success was misplaced. Don't get me wrong, we have a part to play in seeing our goals being achieved but if our goals depend only on us we have made one of two mistakes: 1.) We have set our goals so low that they do not require the tremendous power of God to bring them to pass. 2.) We have failed to understand that God has larger things in store for us than can be achieved without His help. I believe that the reason that so many of us rush to stuff more hours into our days is because we're trusting ourselves to achieve our goals instead of doing our best, then pausing to rest while trusting God to intensify the effect of our efforts by coupling them with His power.

When you trust God to infuse your efforts with His power you open the door for miraculous multiplication to take place on your behalf. This "miraculous multiplication" was seen in the bible by the widow who borrowed vessels for the Lord to fill with oil, by the servants who retrieved full vats of water for the Lord to turn to wine, and by the Hebrews who stood at the banks of the Red Sea and watched God prepare the way for them. As you pursue your goals and ambitions, work diligently and do your best to work as though you are serving the Lord (for you are) but do not forget that it is also the Lord who will provide the increase and return for your efforts. When you trust in yourself, you believe that pausing for a break will cause you to fall behind in your goals but when you are trusting in God you will remember that God will reward your diligence and that He too rested after the creation of all that we know and love. God rested from His work and still remained in control so what makes you think that God will lose control of your progression toward fulfilling your life's purpose if you pause for a moment to rest as well? If you are reading this blog, laziness is probably not your vice but you may be struggling with self reliance that causes you to work long hours and refuse to rest while chasing your dreams. This is just as destructive as laziness because although you may gain some accolades, you may lose your personal relationships, physical health or peace of mind. As you eagerly pursue your goals remember that followers of Christ are not busy little bees but believers blessed by God.

-Jessie

How bad do you want it?

As I was studying this afternoon I was excited by the possibilities of the future. As my imagination wondered through all of the paths of potential I was reminded that all of us want to achieve great things during our lifetime. I would venture to say that we could quickly explain ways in which we would like to see our respective "worlds" changed. The question that comes to mind, however, is "How bad do we want it?" How bad do you want improvement? How bad do you want to achieve something significant? Do we simply want to be perceived as important or do we truly want to achieve something of lasting value? These are critical questions to ask as we pursue our goals because the answers to these questions will help to determine how strong our resolve will be to accomplish them. Do we really want to achieve the goals that we say we're pursuing?
If we have a half-hearted resolve to accomplish our goals: when challenges come (which they certainly will) we will lose the desire to carry on, when the need for change arises we will lack the wherewithal to make the necessary adjustments to move forward, and when we get tired along the way we will allow the fire of our desire to achieve our objective to dwindle into nothing more than a smoldering wick. You say that you have goals? Great! How bad do you want to achieve them? Do you want financial freedom enough to develop a budget and actually carry it out? Do you want a peaceful relationship enough to follow God's directions for developing one ("Love your neighbor as your self...") Do you desire to excel in your career enough to pursue the education and training necessary to maximize your potential? Do you want to succeed enough to read enough materials and study enough books on your field of expertise to become an expert in your own right? How bad do you want it? Prove it!