Pastor Perry recently wrapped up a message series titled "The Rule of 5". In it, he laid many principles about how to order our lives so as to get the most out of them. Essentially, it was about living life on purpose!
The main thought Pastor repeated throughout the series was the phrase..."Not all day, but every day." In one example, he likened this concept to the idea of chopping down a big tree. But rather than needlessly wearing yourself out trying to chop it down in one attempt, he suggested we take a few swings one day... and then go back and take a few more swings the next day. Over time, then, you accomplish the task while avoiding burn-out!
One point I connected with was a quote Pastor referred to many times by the well-known Christian author John Maxwell. The quote says: "your success is found in your daily agenda." I was so taken with this thought (mostly due to my need for a more structured day), that I sat down and wrote out a weekly calendar to coincide with things Pastor preached about in the series. Sure, in the past I would get some things done each day... maybe even everything I had in mind for a given day, but it wasn't consistent. Inevitably, some distraction would come along, or I would find myself bogged-down in one task, and before I knew it, a good chunk of my day had passed me by. Now, I don't mean by "structure" that I have every second of my day planned out with no room for spontaneity. I just have planned out what I know I need to do, "not all day, but every day", in order to make sure my daily agenda leads me to success!
While we're all different as to what we need to help us attain that daily success, the truth for us all is that we'll get nowhere without a plan. All of the best intentions in the world will ultimately fall flat and leave anyone feeling overwhelmed and ineffective. With the fact that we all need a game plan, and yet, one tailored to our particular temperament/personality type, let me suggest a scripture that will help lead us all to success. It's a scripture God illuminated for me a few years back that I also claim as a promise... especially when I'm having trouble discerning what it is I need to do in a given situation. It is James 1:5 which reads: "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking (New Living Translation, 1st edition).
Still, all of the best-laid plans are meaningless unless we then take action on them. Another couple of well-known scriptures in James (whose application may seem stretched a bit for this purpose, but I feel still get the point across) read: "But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like" (James 1:22-24, NLT, 2nd edition). And in James 2:14a, it reads: "Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything?
Developing and looking at the game-plan is great IF you actually get about DOING it rather than learning it, only to walk away from it and forget what it looks like. As my wife Judy would say of such a thing... "you're doing a whole lot of nothing."
Let us not be guilty of "Much ado about nothing". Let us, rather, be disciplined and intentional about our approach to our daily agenda, and in this find the pattern to success in every area of our lives.
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perry meade
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