Striving vs. Thriving

"What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?" -Ecc 2:22

I remember being in grade school trying to beat all 6 (small school is an understatement) of my classmates by getting through my coursework quicker.  We were working through our phonics books, and it was down to me and the last guy.  Once he saw he was going to lose by a long stretch, he gave up.  I kept on going to finish, but at that point it really didn't matter anymore.  What was going through a phonics book as quickly as possible going to get me anyway?  I really wasn't learning that much more by going through it at a ridiculous pace.  In fact, I was absorbing less!

So much of striving in life relates to a life of faith.  When we're striving, we're busy - and B.U.S.Y. equates to "Being Under Satan’s Yoke."  Do we fear not having enough provision?  God is our Provider.  Do we fear other's thoughts of us?  God should be the one we care about pleasing most.  Do we fear we won't measure up? God has given us our own identity - unique to anyone else. Do we fear success or failure?  "Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:8)  "Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel." -1 Chronicles 22:13

Another case in point:  In singing, if you try too hard and strain your voice, you can do irreparable damage to your vocal chords.  But, if you learn to use the natural range of your voice and free it from the rest of the muscles in your throat, you can have a lot of success in singing.  Most of singing is freeing your vocal chords from the tension of the muscles surrounding them, while training your vocal chords to sing the right note.

Are you striving in any area of your life?  Ask God to help in you in that area, and help you give it to Him. 

Jesus Left the Competition

"Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that He and John performed (although His disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning hHm and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee." -John 4:1 MSG

Is competition biblical? In a hurried world where results produce promotion and accolade, it is so easy to get our eyes off where our central focus should be: Jesus. Yes it is right to work diligently and wholeheartedly (Prov 12:27), yes it is good to excel and be faithful (Luke 19:17) - but is it okay to be competitive?

In the Bible there is no mention of the word “competition”, but we can gather from Jesus’ example that He competed with no one. The moment it was suggested that someone was keeping score, Jesus left the playing field entirely.

I remember being a kid in elementary school being put up to the challenge of who could complete the Hooked on Phonics book first. I was definitely up for it, (English was my strong suit), so I worked hard to get the book done before anybody else. It was down to me and the last guy, and I remember staying up late one night to finish it. I was excited to bring that phonics book in complete that day and win the contest. But even though I won, the truth is, it didn’t add anything to my value.

Having a challenge or contest is not wrong, and neither is sports. But when we begin to operate in striving, our worth becomes tied to our performance - and we can miss God’s love completely. Everything we receive comes from Him, not through our own human efforts. (2 Cor 3:5) We have to be careful to check our motives and listen to His heart for us and on behalf of others.

Is there anything you may need to adjust in your life to help you keep a right focus? We don’t need to be bound to performance - instead, we need a greater revelation of God’s love for us, being led by His Spirit, and trust in Him that He will provide for all of our needs.

Considering the Cost

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?" -Luke 14:28
 
If you've ever tried to do something great, you'll know it has a huge cost. Anytime we attempt to accomplish something more than most people will, we'll experience more roadblocks than most people. The question is are we willing to make the sacrifices to do that may be such a challenge? We may discover that when we do, the payoff is much greater than we could ever imagine.

If you want a fit body, there's a cost. It probably involves a LOT of working out. It probably also involves making sacrifices in the type of food you eat. If you want to grow a business, it will cost you time - a LOT of time. If you want an amazing family, it will cost you time, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears (literally). If you've already made the commitment, for any of those things, then it has become responsibility. But, everyday, we still choose whether to endure the cost and reap the benefit, or to disengage ourselves from the task at hand and become mediocre at what we're doing. It's a "heart-thing".

Jesus' calling had a cost - His life. Sometimes we'll do something that enlivens us -that gives us hope for the future and brings meaning to our lives. We'll discover where we fit, where we belong. We'll discover where our gifts and talents can be multiplied to affect the lives of others for good. When we discover any of those things, we'll know for sure the cost was worth the sacrifice.

Sometimes this sacrifice requires us to die to ourselves, to our own desires. It may require us to overcome our fears. It most probably requires us to lay down our lives at the foot of the cross, saying, "God, use me for whatever purpose you may have for my life." It involves submission. But, once we're willing to do this, we'll experience life to the greatest extent we've ever known. "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Are you willing to endure the cost for what you feel God calling you to? I pray we'll all be able to endure the cost, whatever it may be, to grow God's kingdom for the good of this world.