Perform Consistently 4

Philippians 3:12-14

One of my hobbies is collecting miniature Civil War figurines, painting them and mounting them on stands. My goal is to collect enough figurines to represent the Union Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate Army of the Tennessee. It is a long process to do this. I have been working on it diligently for about five years and I anticipate completing my goal about 10 years from now.

In his letter to the church at Philippi Paul addresses the attitude of going after a goal. What is his first comment about what he is doing? According to verse 13 where is he in the process? What is his attitude?

I would love to snap my fingers and achieve my goal in my hobby, but that is not going to happen. Will I reach my goal? I believe I will. But to do that I must work at it whenever I get the opportunity, going through the painstaking efforts involved, checking off what I have done, and planning for what I must do next.

The same is true of most ministries. Can we gather a few supplies and save souls in a matter of days? In some cases, yes, we can. But in most cases the work of God’s kingdom requires dedication, perseverance, planning and consistent performance.

It is tempting at times to give up. It is tempting at times to doubt ourselves and believe we can never really accomplish anything.

But, if we are to be in ministry – and we are – we are likely going to have to keep at the work. Making a difference in the world, helping the needy, building our church and its outreaches usually takes a long time and many people working toward the same goal. We will have setbacks from time to time, there is no doubt of that, but the best way to reach any goal is to perform the work. Keep at it. Keep doing the good deeds that make a difference.

Placing ourselves where God can use us, praying about our ministry, picturing what should be done, and planning the work are important. Let us not forget the final essential part – perform the work.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do today?