“For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
James 1:21–24 (NKJV)

DECEMBER 11 - A sharp flurry danced in the air—transformation occurred everywhere. People who were blind since birth could suddenly see, the deaf had the joy of listening to parables of the Master, the disturbed were vibrantly whole, and thieves became as honourable as the temple rabbi. Yes, there were some who were unwilling to change. Many thought the Teacher, the Messiah, was merely another man, but because they were unwilling to embrace change, the miraculous for them was as distant as the Mediterranean Sea.

Ultimately, excellence can be devoured through our unwillingness to change. Life passes us by and causes us to live in regret over the lack of productivity from our past. The moment we become unwilling to embrace change is the moment we no longer achieve or reach the high standards to which Christ calls us.

Inherently, humanity has within itself the desire to settle, to hit a plateau and go no further. However, as men and women of excellence, we must refuse the cosy invitation to settle. We must be resilient and continue to climb the ladder of excellence. It is a daily pursuit requiring focus and persistence. When we are dedicated to this call, we walk victoriously over the enemy of mediocrity. Mediocrity can be beaten… we can overcome! We must, nevertheless, pursue excellence every day of our lives. The only question is this: Will we or won’t we pursue?

Father, I thank You that I am a doer of Your Word. I look into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it. I am not a forgetful hearer but I am an effectual doer and I am blessed in all I do.

Family Scripture Reading

December 11

Featured Resource

Winning The Heart Of God - Book

What is the ultimate prize that this world has to offer? The Nobel Peace Prize? An Oscar? A Super Bowl ring? A lucrative recording contract?

Certainly you can find all types of contests in which to compete and a host of valuable prizes to covet in today’s society. But in this book, Dr. Robb Thompson tells you how to win the ultimate prize of life – the heart of your Heavenly Father.

Using illustrations from the lives of Biblical men and women, Dr. Thompson vividly portrays what it means to be a person after God’s own heart. In the process, he tackles the all-important topics of submission and covenant loyalty – scriptural concepts that are frequently shunned and swept under the collective rug in Christendom today.

As Dr. Thompson so succinctly asks, “What else do you have in life, if you don’t have the heart of the Father?” That’s a question only you can answer for yourself. Pursue the prize of your Father’s heart, and watch everything else in your life fall into place (Matthew 6:33).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Part 1: A Submitted Heart
David: A Man After God’s Own Heart
The Subtle Trap of Rebellion
God’s Way of Relating to Authority
Choose Obedience
God’s Only Path to Fulfillment

Part 2: A Loyal Heart
The Foundation of Faithfulness
The Steadfast Loyalty of our God
Loyalty: Our Link to Divinity
Loyalty is a Choice
Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author

Posted under Mediocrity

“Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king…Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. Instead, he followed the example of his father, Joash. Amaziah did not destroy the pagan shrines, where the people offered sacrifices and burned incense.”
2 Kings 14:2-4 (NLT)

MAY 7 - Every woman alive knows it—either you are, or you aren’t. Pregnancy is not a mediocre process; it is impossible to be “almost” with child. Either you are, or you aren’t. As a natural example for us all, when God creates life, He never does it half way. How many of us can recall King Amaziah? Almost none of us, right? But who knows David? Virtually the whole world does, even those who are not believers. David stood for the extraordinary, but Amaziah accepted the ordinary, doing things half way. Notice, Amaziah wasn’t displeasing to God. The Scriptures say that he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, which means that he must have had a certain degree of integrity and goodness to him. Nevertheless, he didn’t do what it took to make things great, like his ancestor David did.

Mediocrity doesn’t mean that we live a lazy, worthless life. No, mediocrity means that we let just a few things slip through the cracks on one hand, while we hold together everything else with the other, doing a balancing act. I wish I could say that God understands, but that just is not true. God gave us His grace so that we are able to become extraordinary, going all the way in every area of our lives. Ask yourself: What areas of my life have I allowed mediocrity to penetrate? While it may be difficult to stand for the extraordinary at first, it is the only way to make a lasting impact in your world.

Daily Confession

Father, I thank You for empowering me to stand for the extraordinary so that You can be glorified in my life.

Family Scripture Reading

James 5

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Posted under Mediocrity