“I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” Isaiah 46:11
People today want to be successful at getting things done. As the swoosh reminds us, “Just Do It.” We read books, attend seminars and hire coaches to help us improve our metrics of productivity and efficiency. You may feel pretty good about your ability to get things done, but nobody… NOBODY… gets things done like God! God created the universe and all that exists in it in 6 days. Then He took a day off to rest. That’s getting things done! In a world that values effectiveness and efficiency, God is the foremost expert on getting things done. In this passage, God makes it clear how things get work in His universe; God speaks and it happens. God purposes and it gets done. Jesus goes even deeper on this, saying, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. That’s a bold statement. Take a moment to chew on that and then consider the following principles.
“In a world that values effectiveness and efficiency, God is the foremost expert on getting things done.”
Warren Mainard
- Nothing lasting without a preservative. There is no fruit that doesn’t eventually rot. Whatever you build will eventually be torn down or collapse. Nothing lasts forever… except those things that are preserved for eternity. That’s what Jesus is all about, and that is what He put you on this world to do. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” John 15:16. It’s not about what you do for God, it’s about what God does through you that really matters. You may be concerned about getting things done, but God is concerned about getting you done. When you invest yourself into a deep, dependent, love relationship with Jesus, you set yourself up with the number one habit of eternally effective people.
You may be concerned about getting things done, but God is concerned about getting you done.
Warren Mainard
- “God can do more in a moment than you can do in a lifetime.” (Ronnie Floyd) Often times it seems like God is moving slowly. He tells us to slow down, be still and trust in Him. This feels so… unproductive and un-American. A foolish question people often ask is, “Could God create a rock so big that He couldn’t lift it?” A far better question to ask is, “What are the rocks (or mountains) in my life that only God can move?” You want to move mountains? Put your faith in the mover of mountains. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20. You could spend your whole life trying to move a mountain that God can move in a moment.
- Effectiveness and efficiency is only as good as your intended target. What good is it if you are “killing it” at the things that are killing you? Or, as Jesus put it, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36. We have all heard the saying, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” But, it is equally true that if your life is aimed at the wrong thing(s), you may be missing the mark of your divine purpose entirely. God has hardwired you for eternity- “He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11. If you were fashioned for forever, don’t settle for the temporary and trivial. Take aim at living your life for eternity.
What lasts for eternity? Souls & Scripture. That’s it.
What good is it if you are “killing it” at the things that are killing you?
Warren Mainard
The great missionary CT Studd could not have put it more eloquently, “Only one life twill soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.” God will bring His plans and purposes to pass. He will do it. You can be a part of that.
The Scripture Feed 