"How effective you are is not up to God but up to you."

A thought by John Bevere, from his book, Your God-Given Potential (p. 19). Messenger International, Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Okay, what do you mean?

John says, "That may sound irreverent if you have put all your life achievements in the basket of 'God’s sovereignty.' I assure you, however, it is not irreverent nor does this statement take anything away from the sovereignty of God. It is a testimony of His trust in us, and His desire for His sons and daughters to exercise the free will He’s given us."

He then gives this scripture, "Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit." (Proverbs 9:11–12)

"He goes on, "This truth is so encouraging and powerful! What does it mean to multiply your days? It can’t mean to lengthen your life; this is already covered by the statement, '. . . and add years to your life.' It can’t mean anything other than increasing your effectiveness each and every day. In other words, you’ll get more out of the day than someone without God’s wisdom."

He continues, "You’ve most likely heard the proverb, 'If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success' (Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV). Wisdom is the focus here. You will not be as effective or productive with a dull ax (a lack of wisdom). Conversely, you’ll be able to cut down many more trees with an ax that’s sharpened (living wisely). You will multiply your efforts using the same strength.

"God’s wisdom is so important. . . 'Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do' (Proverbs 4:7 GNT). I love this statement. Once you really believe it, you’ll give your time and energy to acquiring wisdom. But the great truth of Proverbs 9:11–12 is this: Once you obtain wisdom, you are the one who benefits!"

John then says, "The wisdom of God that I write about in this book took years of seeking, searching, and listening—coupled with both positive and negative experiences. But as you’ll discover, it’s not only me, but others that I’ve had the privilege to interview who’ve walked wisely and borne tremendous fruit. I can only hope that, in a short amount of time, you will receive what took me years to obtain, and that you will go much farther with this wisdom than I have. It’s a kingdom matter—we are all one, so if you benefit, then I benefit. If you go farther than me, it’s also to my advantage, because we are one. We are all working for a common purpose and for the glory of one King."

And that is so true, isn't it?

Yes, yes!

Comments

"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...

“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...

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog