E-Leader Brand pt. 4 - "E" for Effort

2 Peter 1:5-8

“…giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren (ineffective) nor unfruitful (unproductive) in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Last weekend I had a team retreat with our young adult ministry leaders. It was a powerful weekend where we developed in our friendships, gained a better understanding of each other, gained consensus on the vision, and prayerfully developed a strategy to reach that big picture. To focus our minds for the weekend, I lead the team in a brief discussion on Friday night. One of the key themes of that discussion was the end all objective of being “fruitful” as individuals and as a ministry.

Being “fruitful” is a fundamental pillar of Christianity. Welcome to Jesus 101…He is the True Vine (John 15). When we abide in Him, we bear fruit or in other words works, character, speech, and other demonstrations of Christ’s divine nature and purpose.

Your Christianity is founded on grace and faith but is firmly established through the revelation of fruit in your life. This process of establishing yourself requires the “E” word. Effort.

The passage in 2 Peter referenced above communicates a message of diligence, patient growth, and continuous development. This applies both to our spiritual and our natural activities on earth. When diligent effort is directed towards our relationship with God and the works He has entrusted us to complete, we exude life and fruitfulness.

Evangeleaders do not stop at just faith, but they continue down the path of Godly self development. Show me a successful and fruitful Christian, and I’ll show you a person who has applied a consistent amount of effort. You might be asking, “Well, what kind of effort?” Here are a few examples:

1. Study God’s Word…consistently.

2. Pray and talk with God on a regular basis.

3. Commit to developing in the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5).

4. Diligently pursue knowledge and wisdom in your field of purpose. (School, mentorship, reading, research, etc.)

5. Consistently apply new knowledge.

If we put effort into this journey, we will see some remarkable results…God’s promise.

Pop the Culture,

B.W.P

Closed Doors

“Nevertheless not My will, but Yours…”
- Luke 22:42

You don’t see people really looking for doors to be closed in their life, do you? It’s not natural for us to look for opportunities to fall to the floor, plans to crumble before us, and persistence to produce little to no results.

To avoid these scenarios, we seek after doors to be opened. We pray for “the big” to happen. C’mon, we live in a society where we require options to be available. Pain and rejection is what we aim to avoid at all costs.

But there is something so exciting about closed doors. If you look closely, you may see someone much bigger than you influencing the situation.

Here are some familiar closed doors that seem to be open for a select few people, but not you. Don’t worry, many people can relate!

Chance happenings - For example, a soon to be actor that’s spotted randomly in the mall by an agent. The seemingly great job that the other guy or girl just happens to get out of nowhere.

Environment – Imagine this. What if you were born in Hawaii? Or into a millionaire family that owns a high-rise condo in New York? What if your dad was an NFL coach and trained you to be a pro athlete?

Lucky Thoughts – Don’t you wish you were the one who thought of creating Google? You drink coffee but never thought to launch Starbucks. If you only made that you-tube video, you would be FAMOUS. It seems everyone else has the great ideas!

The Knack – Trump has the keen business sense. Beyonce has the star quality in addition to a perfect voice. Will Smith is a multi-talented, multi-millionaire. It kind of makes me sick…lol.

In life, closed doors are a way for God to guide us in His will and purpose. Notice I said HIS. Closed doors are as powerful and as vital as open opportunities. If we’re fully submitted, it’s easy to see God channeling us towards a clear path that has been designed for us. Don’t lose hope. There are “chance” happenings and life changing thoughts that are around the corner but they may not fit your natural expectations.

As you pursue your goals, pray for both open AND closed doors. His plan, His way, His timing. Look at closed doors with the eyes of faith because there is something divine in the works. Facing a closed door in your life? Don't worry, it's all part of the bigger picture. Lord, let thy will be done.

Pop The Culture,

B.W.P