"I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.”
John 17:4
Happy New Year!As a coach or leader at any level you know how important planning is to your season and your career. However did you know the same is true in your spiritual life? If you desire any sustained success in 2023, you must make planning a priority! John Maxwell says it this way . . ."If you fail to plan, then plan to fail."I used to assume Jesus didn’t have a plan for His life and ministry, and that He was just “winging" it. Was Jesus just living day by day? Was He driven by pressure or priority? Was He telling His time where it ought to go, or was He allowing everyone else tell His time where it ought to go? I believe it is very unlikely that Jesus started the greatest movement in history in just three years with no plan, method or strategy.Consider the following . . .94,608,000 seconds. 1,576,800 minutes. 26,280 hours. 1,096 days. Jesus compelled every second, every minute, every hour, of every day for three years to fulfill His Father's mission. I assure you, He didn’t wing it. He didn’t drift. He didn’t get sidetracked with His time or priorities. He didn’t allow people to distract Him from the mission that He was sent to do. Jesus had a plan because Jesus was laser focused on His mission. Jesus was on “assignment” during His days on the planet. He came to make redemption possible and to start a movement of multiplying disciples that would change the world.The point? — Jesus took “unschooled ordinary" men and women and turned them into world changers! Jesus didn’t call the equipped; He equipped the called. He didn’t call those who thought they had all the answers or who didn’t have a teachable heart. He knew He only had 3-years to take “unschooled and untrained” ordinary people and transform them into “fully trained” disciples. There was no Plan B. Plan B was Plan A!Read it for yourself.“Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is [fully trained] will become like the teacher.” Luke 6:40“The members of the council were astonished when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were [unschooled ordinary men] with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had [been with Jesus.”] - Acts 4:13So how about you? Is your Spiritual life governed by a plan, or are you living by pressure? Are you telling your time where it should go or is someone else? Do you have a clear mission? Do you have clear objectives for accomplishing your mission? Do you have a daily agenda that gets you there - or are you just "winging" it?Listen closely: You have been put in the place you are to impact others for eternity and to help turn the world upside down. God picked 12 "unschooled and untrained" ordinary men to change the world. And He wants to do the same with you in 2023. Remember: If Satan can’t make you bad—he will just make you busy. Be busy about the right things in life in 2023.Can you pray the same prayer to your Heavenly Father that Jesus prayed?“I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.”It is 2023! You get one chance in this life to make an impact with the life God gave you, don't miss it! Don’t wing it. Live on mission. Live with the end in mind.Love God. Love People. Live Sent.Be Worth Being,KevinSUBSCRIBE TO "OVER THE HUMP" DEVOTIONALKevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 41 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.
Imagine that you could sit down and pick the brains of some of the top leaders in the country! That's the premise behind the Linch with a Leader podcast. Learn how these leaders - all among the best in their respective field - have risen to the top, while continuing to grow spiritually and chase after the Lord.
