How Not to Waste Your Life
By Steve Williams
Mitchell County
The Bible tells us in James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. See there are many good people, nice people with the potential to serve God. The only thing is they never move to apply their potential.
An Oklahoma football coach, who was once asked by a reporter about a star recruit, a high school running back who had broken all his school’s records for rushing yards. The reporter asked the coach, “How good can this running back be: Can he break the college records? Does he have potential?” Many newspaper reporters ask multiple questions, but before the coach had time to answer even one question. The coach said, slow down buddy, is that one question or three? He replied to the nervous reporter, what I mean is, does this running back have more potential than any runner you’ve ever coached? The coach stared at the reported, smiled a dry smile, and spit out an answer, Sure he does, buddy. But potential means you ain’t done nothing yet.
See that is where a lot of Christians are at today. They have the potential to do something, but they haven’t done anything yet. See, most Christians today are like a car that’s transmission is stuck in neutral; the motor sounds impressive, the lights, radio, and horn are all in good working condition, and new tires, but the only problem is that it is not going anywhere. So, if one is not going to waste their life, they must be out doing something. You ask doing what? Doing what the Word of God tells us to do. To go and share the gospel and to practice living the Christian life out loud. God does not just look at our potential, but God is looking for our productivity. Too many times we are doing what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do and that means we are wasting our lives. If we’re not going to waste our lives, we must become productive Christians. So many people have in their mind that if they are going to do something for God it’s going to have to be something great. That’s pride and pride will never be productive. Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come, but faithfully handle the little things that come your way.
Words of Wisdom
- The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. N/A
- A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach their potential. John C. Maxwell
- God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers. N/A
- The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys that can unlock a wealth of potential. John C. Maxwell
I heard this one time and I have found it to be true. Raising teenagers and trying to teach them to reach their full potential, is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Steve Williams is the pastor of Berry Chapel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
