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In Proverbs 13:4 it says: “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”

When you hear the word “diligence” what do you think of? I think of hard work, honesty, persistence, or striving for excellence. I get a kick out of the way the New Living Bible Translation puts it: “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”

I recently hear someone say this, “Success doesn’t come from being a hundred percent better than your competition, success comes from being one percent better in a hundred different ways.” 

So if you want to be successful in your company, your career or your life, it all comes down to one easy step…the extra one. So when life presents you with a challenge just ask yourself one question: ‘What else could I do?’” To succeed you’ll have to do more—maybe more than you want, more than your competition, or even more than you think you’re capable of.

The poet William Arthur Ward said: “I will do more than belong—I will participate. I will do more than care—I will help. I will do more than believe—I will practice. I will do more than be fair—I will be kind. I will do more than forgive—I will forget. I will do more than dream—I will work. I will do more than teach—I will inspire. I will do more than learn—I will enrich. I will do more than give—I will serve. I will do more than live—I will grow. I will do more than suffer—I will triumph.”

You can’t take the easy route and expect to reach your goal. Do more. Do “whatever it takes.”

“No matter how fast you run, you won’t escape. No matter how strong you are, you will lose your strength.” Amos 2:14 CEV

Do you believe that problems magically solve themselves because you refuse to deal with them? If the answer is yes, they don’t. In all actuality, they multiply. And “no matter how fast you run, you will not escape.”

I love what Kristin Armstrong said: “We become…adept at running…We try to flee from our pain, our past and our issues. The problem is, we can’t run or hide or push things away forever. Eventually we’ll tire…and have to slow down. And when we do, all our junk will come rolling behind…headed straight for us at top speed. All the time we’ve been fleeing, our junk has been snowballing…picking up size and momentum. If we aren’t brave enough to face it when it’s ‘small,’ it’ll run us over later. Now’s the time to…deal with it…as fast and as strong as you are, you can’t keep this up much longer.” 

So the question is: What are you running from today? What issues are causing you to “lose your strength?” Stop right now and deal with them. “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27 NIV) by spending one more day running.

Your failures in the past do not matter, “The blood of Jesus…cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7 NLT). Maybe it’s a bad habit, or someone you’re scared to confront, but whatever it is “step up to the plate.” The thing that’s chasing you will lose its power when you face it down in the name of Jesus.

Paul says, “Having done all… stand” (Ephesians 6:13). So stand up, face your problems, and do it through the power of God, not in your own strength.

Famous Serving Quotes
The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” – Martin Luther King Jr

From now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others. –George Bush

“Prayer in action is love, and love in action is service. Try to give unconditionally whatever a person needs in the moment. The point is to do something, however small, and show you care through your actions by giving your time … We are all God’s children so it is important to share His gifts. Do not worry about why problems exist in the world – just respond to people’s needs … We feel what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but that ocean would be less without that drop.“- Mother Teresa

“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?”- John Adams

“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bible Quotes About Serving
Matthew 6:24  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

John 12:26If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Romans 7:6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Hebrews 6:10For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

Hebrews 9:14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify ourconscience from dead works to serve the living God.

1 Peter 4:11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

God has been speaking to me a lot about our economy.

It’s probably not what you would expect. I believe He is impressing in my spirit to keep moving forward even though it’s bad.

I know, I know, every time I see the news I’m tempted to back off of the God-sized, faith stretching vision He has placed deep down in my heart. I’m aware of our economy and I do not want to be irresponsible by exhibiting a lack of wisdom or restraint.

But I truly believe we have not entered a season for us to gather in a holy huddle to just wait for the end. In Joshua 3, God leads Joshua and the Israelites across the Jordan during a flood. It was the worst possible time for them to navigate the Jordan. Or was it? Why not cross over during flood season? Contrary to what you might think, flood season and harvest time existed in the same season. The higher the waters get, the more opportunity is available for God to be God and bring us through.

So maybe the take home for us is this, we must move forward regardless of our economic crisis. We must forge ahead. God will care for His children even in times of famine.

Over the next several months we will be committing thousands of dollars to complete Rock City for our grade school children. We are in the process of considering a third service and we just finished the office spaces downstairs. We have seeded nearly 50,000 dollars toward missions in the two years of Echo Church’s existence.

We must move forward. The harvest is upon us! People are ripe to receive the good news of Christ Jesus. God will resource us to reach the lost with the Gospel. We must keep our eyes on Him.

Please don’t mistake my youth as naiveté. But if you do, I’d rather be naive than faithless.

Remember where God’s faithless children were sent - the desert.

Provision comes from scarcity. So let’s press forward and give God an opportunity to provide.