By the Book

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?
I bet you are wondering... "What in the world is he talking about today?" Don´t worry, this is a G-rated study and hopefully one that will get you to stop and think. As a director I am always looking for ways to push the people in my ministries beyond what they thought they could achieve. In order to become better musicians and artists we have to be willing to move out of our comfort zones and try new things. But it can also create stressful situations. There is a delicate balance to know when to push and how far. If you aren´t learning and growing in your musical endeavors you tend to lose ground. If you aren´t moving forward you are inevitably going to be slipping back.
It´s interesting to me that the same is true in our spiritual lives. If we aren´t moving forward, it is easy to slip back. It is impossible to simply maintain where you are. You can´t stand still. Now I know what some of you are thinking at this point in the analogy. A person can not constantly be moving, there has to be time for rest. Resting, I understand, stopping I do not. There may be times we need pause and take a minute to regroup but we can´t simply stop and expect everything to remain where it is. It may be very hard work at times but God never said it would be easy. If we never push beyond what we think we can do, we never get to the point where God has to take over and the only time we have anything worth offering is when God is in total control!

We live in a society where it is all about "me." And many times when things get too tough we tend to bow out or justify reasons not to work hard. In all my years in ministry, I have found that the things that take the most time and require the most work are also the things that are most rewarding. Isn´t God worthy and doesn´t He deserve the very best we have to offer, not whatever we happen to have leftover after everything else in life has spent us. So let´s be willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. Let´s not make it seem like I am doing God a favor by serving him with what time I have left over in my schedule. Let´s determine what God has called us to do and then see how the rest of our lives can be a part of that calling. Serving God is not an extracurricular activity, it´s life!

SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 2:41-52, Luke 14:25-35, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, 23-25

BOTTOM LINE
Push beyond what you can do to what you can´t do without God.