Skip to main content

“If you want God’s best, you can’t just say no to what’s wrong.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 46). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Mark continues, “You have to say no to second best. Good isn’t good enough! That’s what the apostle Paul is getting at when he writes, ‘Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial.’ [1 Corinthians 10: 23 (CSB).]”

Mark then says, “This little distinction between permissible and beneficial is the difference between good and great. Don’t settle for what’s permissible. That’s the path of least resistance. Go after greatness by going the extra mile!

“Willpower means not my will, but ‘your will be done.’ (Matthew 16:10) It’s a will that has been fully surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s a sanctified stubborn streak that refuses to compromise its convictions.”

Mark goes on, “Now, let’s bring this idea down to earth. If you want to get out of debt, you’ve got to make decisions against yourself financially. It’s called sticking to a budget. If you want to get into shape, you’ve got to make decisions against yourself physically. Join the gym. If you want to grow spiritually, you’ve got to make decisions against yourself. Try fasting.

“What decision against yourself do you need to make? If you have the courage to make it, it’ll be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself.  If you don’t believe me, ask a world-class athlete or renowned musician. The only way you become great at anything is by making decisions against yourself.”

It will be tough, but it will be rewarding.  Will you start making decisions against yourself?  Will you?


Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"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...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Hurry and love are incompatible.”

A thought by John Mark Comer from his book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, pretty strong thought isn’t it? John says, “All my worst moments as a father, a husband, and a pastor, even as a human being, are when I’m in a hurry—late for an appointment, behind on my unrealistic to-do list, trying to cram too much into my day. I ooze anger, tension, a critical nagging—the antitheses of love. If you don’t believe me, next time you’re trying to get your type B wife and three young, easily distracted children out of the house and you’re running late (a subject on which I have a wealth of experience), just pay attention to how you relate to them. Does it look and feel like love? Or is it far more in the vein of agitation, anger, a biting comment, a rough glare? Hurry and love are oil and water: they simply do not mix.” He goes on, “Hence, in the apostle P...
Post a Comment
Read more

“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...
Post a Comment
Read more