Reward, Achievement and Checking the Box

A friend of mine in law school once said  

“Cs get degrees” 

I had never heard that before!

Average...

Most of us don’t want to be average.

Some of us are programmed to be “do-ers” 

There are lots of dreamers but the key is do-ers

Jon Courson said recently in a sermon... 

“Successful people get things done ...”

True. 

Now is the time to follow through !

Give Jesus your best- the morning devotion, your heart, the tithe, etc. 

Though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor!

But for some of us we tend to be natural at getting grades or earning trophies or driven to be busy with activity we need to focus on what Jesus did when he departed to pray...
We need to slow down...
Jesus was about His Father ‘s business...

Jesus was able to set aside those early morning intimate moments with God to pray ...to be still ... 

I cannot be so activity driven that I use up all of my energy and become depleted and drained. 

Remember when Jesus  was in the boat? He was sleeping... He was so exhausted from ministry and then the wind and the waves begin to come and they said (paraphrase)

“Jesus! Wake up! Don’t  you care that we’re perishing? 

Jesus rebuked them. He calmed the wind and waves, but He was troubled at their assessment of the situation. 

I can get depleted, drained fatigued.

But I don’t stop...

I keep going...

Now I must confess, I do sleep well

7-8 hours every night.

But for me, getting sleep is not the issue.

For me, I need to not beat myself up if my “to do” list is too long, or I don’t complete the tasks I have assigned myself.

I need to during the day to stop and pray and read, or to just breathe.

I often ... go go go go. 

And God is telling me to slow down.

You see for me, I love to be still. I love to sit in a prayer meeting or at a retreat and date Jesus. For me, that’s not the issue... the issue is my daily activity driven behavior that incorrectly skew my view of my self.

I got 10 things done. 

Woo-hoo I had a great day.

I only accomplished 4 things today. Man God, am I lazy, was I on social media too much? Please God help me be better at time management 

Laura- 

Time management isn’t the issue- your estimation of a successful day, or unsuccessful day is the problem.

This is the day the Lord has made, not this is the day Laura has made.

I’m the maker of heaven and earth and I am the one who gives your life value and meaning!

I made you to be like Mary, so stop trying to be like Martha. 

I read a beautiful article : 

“10 Ways to Simplify Your Life in 2019”

And here are some take aways I learned ... 

Ask yourself “is that little check mark worth it?” 

“It’s not all about saying ‘no’—you also need to know when to say ‘yes.’ Approach God in prayer and ask Him to lead you. God will show you what He needs from you. Before you fill your calendar, ask where He may need you to leave a little space open for Him.”

Look at what God told Abraham 

Genesis 15:1

 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.

    I am your shield,

    your very great reward”

God Himself is the reward we are all longing for. Not checked boxes, or even ministries we have completed... but to truly be like Mary- sitting at Jesus’ feet is the ultimate reward!