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 The
Weekly PowerBreak
Monday January 30, 2012
The Weekly PowerBreak is a weekly publication via email. Subscribe
by sending an email request to
bob@bobbrubaker.com.
The
Power Of Consistency
We’ve
heard the analogies that if you want to eat an elephant you must eat a
bite at a time but make sure you don’t stop. Likewise, if you want to be
able to lift a cow, begin when it’s a calf and never miss a day of lifting
the calf which will soon become a cow. I realize neither of those
illustrations seem appealing – eating an elephant or picking up a cow,
however the lesson of consistent attention to seemingly small things
allows one to accomplish big things.
Ever
notice how Jesus emphasized “daily” activities, like the need for prayer,
recommitment to Him, and the readiness to deny self and follow Him no
matter what it takes?
Matthew
6:11 (ESV) —
11
Give us this day our daily bread,
Luke
9:23 (ESV) —
23
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
These
areas may seem like “small things” but have you tried it on a consistent
basis? Do you pray daily, spending time with God, following the pattern of
the Lord’s prayer? Do you commit yourself to Christ on a daily basis,
submitting yourself to His rule and authority, expressing your willingness
to resign to His will no matter what the cost?
Too
many times we look for the “big challenges” to come along and think we’ll
be able to handle them. In reality, as we look at our lives, we often
neglect or put off the big challenges, lacking the courage and confidence
that would be gained from paying attention to the small details on a
consistent basis.
There’s
a narrative in the Old Testament book of Kings about a Syrian captain who
had leprosy and went to the prophet Elisha to be healed but went away
angry because the prophet gave him a “little thing” to do. However, when
he was convinced to carry out the “little thing” consistently, he was
healed.
2 Kings
5:10–14 (ESV) —
10
And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan
seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”
11
But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he
would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the
Lord his God, and wave his
hand over the place and cure the leper.
12
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the
waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and
went away in a rage.
13
But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word
the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to
you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
14
So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to
the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a
little child, and he was clean.
Likewise, in our following Christ, or applying His daily principles to
life, we’ll find that the admonition to the consistency of the little
things will prepare us for taking on the greater challenges of life. It
works in business, sports, marriage, education, and every area of life.
The key is the power of consistency.
Colossians 3:12–17 (ESV) —
12
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one
has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has
forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in
perfect harmony.
15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in one body. And be thankful.
16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker
Bob is the pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church,
FCA Endurance - Clearwater
- for information see the FCA link on
www.bobbrubaker.com . Please pass the word to athletes in the
Clearwater area. For
information about FCA Endurance see
www.fcaendurance.com .
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