2025-07-08
Galatians 6:9 NKJV
One of the greatest predictors of success in any endeavour is persistence. It’s not only how hard you try; it’s how long you try. We tend to overestimate how much we can accomplish in the short term. And according to an American pastor and author, we also “underestimate how much we can accomplish over the long haul. Why? Because energy is exponential. The harder you work and the longer you work, the more it pays off. In a study involving Japanese and American first graders, kids were given a difficult puzzle to solve while researchers measured how long they would try before giving up. On average, the American children lasted 9.47 minutes. The Japanese children lasted 13.93 minutes. That is a 47 percent difference. Want to guess who scores higher on standardized math tests? Success in any endeavour is a by-product of trying harder and trying longer.
There are no substitutes. There are no shortcuts. It doesn’t matter whether it’s athletics or academics, music, or math [or ministry]. Study after study has shown that it takes about ten years or ten thousand hours to become great at anything. You need to work hard and work long. In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, ‘Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.’ Are there any God ideas you’ve given up on? Any God-ordained passions that you have stopped fighting for? Any God-sized dreams gathering the dust of disobedience? Don’t give up on them. You need to try. Then you need to try harder. And then you need to try longer.”
Soul food: Acts 3:11-5:42; Matt 8:10-17; Ps 109:16-31; Pro 15:23-26
2025-07-07
Ephesians 4:3 NIV
A lady told her friend, “My husband and I have a very happy marriage. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me. And that’s the way we go through life – doing nothing for each other!” We smile, but that’s not so funny when it’s true. That attitude paves the road to disaster in marriage, business, church, personal relationships, and everywhere else. Often people join a team for their own advantage – they want supporting players so they can receive all the accolades. But ultimately, that attitude not only hurts them, but it also hurts the people they work with and hinders the results they otherwise could have had.
President Woodrow Wilson asserted: “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and to impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” Here is a true statement, if ever there was one: When you use people, exploit them, and take advantage of them, you inevitably fail in life.
Is it easy to work with others and always get along? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. That’s why Paul writes, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” You have to work at it. When someone criticizes, offset it with a compliment. When someone complains, find something to be thankful for. When someone comes across as self-centred, remind them that the collective goal you’re striving for is greater than any one individual.
Soul food: Acts 1:1-3:10; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 109:1-15; Pro 15:22
2025-07-06
Psalm 133:1 NKJV
Reason three: temperament. Some people aren’t naturally outgoing. When they face challenges, it never occurs to them to enlist other people’s help in order to accomplish their goal. When you operate alone, you will achieve a certain amount of success, but when you cooperate with the right people, you will achieve things you never dreamed possible. When you do everything alone and never partner with others, you produce huge hurdles to your own potential. Dr. Allan Fromme quipped, “People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them.” That’s certainly an understatement!
Like Chuck Swindoll says: “Nobody is a whole team…We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands we’re not. To make this thing called life work, we gotta lean and support. And relate and respond. And give and take. And confess and forgive. And reach out and embrace and rely on [others]. Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, super-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let’s quit acting like we are. Life’s lonely enough without our playing that silly role. The game is over. Let’s link up.”
If you desire to accomplish something big, you have to join with others. One is too small a number to greatly succeed. The Bible says, “Behold, how good and… pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!… For there the Lord commanded the blessing” (vv. 1, 3 NKJV). Did you get that? When we work together, God commands His blessing to be upon our efforts. And without the blessing of God, there is no true and lasting success.
Soul food: Ruth 1:3-18; John 6:41-69
2025-07-05
1 Samuel 14:7 NIV
Reason two: naivety. An old Chinese proverb says, “Behind every able man there are always other able men.” Even if you can do the job yourself, isn’t it wise to stop and ask, “Who do I know who could help me to do it better?” That question defines the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Business consultant John Ghegan keeps a sign on his desk that reads, “If I had it to do all over again, I’d get help.” We all need that sign!
When you have a few victories under your belt, you’re at an increased risk of thinking you can do anything and everything by yourself. But when your dream is from God, it will always be greater than your individual capacity and gifts, which means you will have to reach for others.
Two men, Jonathan, and his armour-bearer, wiped out an entire Philistine garrison. How? “Jonathan said to his young armour-bearer, ‘Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.’ ‘Do all that you have in mind,’ his armour-bearer said. ‘Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul'” (vv. 6-7 NIV). Jonathan, the leader, needed the encouragement and support of his armour-bearer. And his armour-bearer needed the courage and leadership of Jonathan. Together they accomplished amazing things for God.
The truth is teamwork is at the heart of all impressive triumphs. The question isn’t whether teams have value; it’s whether you are humble enough to acknowledge that fact and become a better team player.
Soul food: Joel 1-3; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 79; Pro 15:18-21
2025-07-04
3 John v. 9 NKJV
Reason one: insecurity. The Florentine philosopher Machiavelli said, “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” Insecure leaders are threatened by talented individuals, so they surround themselves with weak people. As a result, the work suffers, and everybody involved suffers too.
When a leader responds to a genuine question by saying, “How dare you challenge my authority,” they’re dangerous and often not worth following. Insecure leaders usually fail for two reasons: They want to maintain control over everything, or they’re afraid of being replaced by someone more competent. Either way, leaders who don’t encourage teamwork weaken their own potential and discourage those around them. President Woodrow Wilson said, “We should not only use all the brains we have, but all that we can borrow.”
John the Apostle tells us that Diotrephes, a leader in the church, “loves to have the pre-eminence.” What was this man’s problem? He wanted to blow everybody else’s light out in order to let his own light shine. So, John writes: “When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God” (3 John vs. 10-11 NLT).
Let God’s approval – which you already have – make you secure!
Soul food: Jer 51-52; Matt 7:1-14;
Ps 137; Pro 15:15-17
2025-07-03
Proverbs 12:23 NLT
Someone else’s need to know shouldn’t determine your need to speak. When a friend of Jesus wanted to stop His arrest, Jesus said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53 NIV). When Jesus stood in Pilate’s judgment hall, Pilate didn’t have the power; Jesus did! Yet, the Bible says that Jesus “opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7 NKJV). He just stood there and said nothing. Why? Because He was not on trial, Pilate was. Jesus knew His destiny, and more importantly, He knew His heavenly Father intimately.
And when you know God, you can face anything with confidence – and feel free to say nothing. Sometimes the wisest thing is to say, “I don’t have the answer right now. But I will think about it, pray, and get back to you.” “The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness” (Proverbs 12:23 NLT).
When people are anxious for answers, they will try to pressure you into speaking before you have all the facts or have had a chance to pray and consider the situation carefully. If you ask God, He will tell you what to say and when to say it. His promise is, “I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand” (Isaiah 51:16 NIV).
Pride says, “Don’t just stand there; say something!” Wisdom says, “Don’t just say something; stand there!” Quietly ask God for insight. One thought from God can solve the problem in a hurry.
Soul food: Jer 49-50; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 122; Pro 15:10-14
