“You don’t start over every day; you build on the day before.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2016-09-06) from his book, Chase the Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small (Kindle Locations 1248-1249). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Think of this. Mark says, “Written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, ‘Let It Go’ won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2014. The powerful ballad was an instant hit, selling more than ten million copies in 2014. But what’s easily forgotten is the fact that seventeen songs they wrote didn’t make the cut. Most of us give up after two or three rejections. But to achieve the highest level of success in any field, you need a high pain threshold when it comes to failure. In order to write one hit song like ‘Let It Go,’ you have to write lots of songs!”

He goes on, “When the London Philharmonic Orchestra selected the fifty greatest pieces of classical music, the list included six pieces by Mozart, five by Beethoven, and three by Bach. To generate those masterpieces, Mozart composed more than six hundred pieces, Beethoven produced six hundred and fifty, and Bach wrote more than a thousand pieces of music.”

He then says, “We glamorize success, but it always comes back to basics. You have to practice scales, practice skills, practice techniques over and over and over again. And it will take lots of sacrifices, which usually starts with setting your alarm clock extra early in the morning! How have Robert and Kristen achieved so much success in songwriting? I love their answer: ‘First of all, we have to have a baby-sitter.’ Success is not sexy. It’s sweaty! Success is not glamorous. It’s gritty!”

Right before today's thought Mark said, “Obedience earns compound interest. Over time it’s called faithfulness. And there is a cumulative effect. Eventually the blessings of God will overtake you. (Deuteronomy 28:2) God’s Word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) He is watching over His word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) And He who began a good work will carry it to completion. (Philippians 1:6)”

So what are you doing today?

Comments

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog