April 26, 2024
People want to be rich. They want the lifestyle and the things that come with financial freedom. This is true of so many that the habits of millionaires, billionaires, and successful people in various disciplines have been reviewed and evaluated so others can learn from them. The hope is that if a person copies the habits of the rich, they will reap the same results.
Following universal principles and routines have the potential to give predictable outcomes. That can be seen both positively and negatively. There are things that you can do to get into debt, and things you can do to get out of it. Ask Dave Ramsey. There are things you can do to gain weight, and there are things you can do to lose it. Anyone seen ads about weight loss around New Year’s?
Principles which show up on numerous lists of successful people can also be helpful for reaching spiritual goals. Many of them can be summed up in the following three.
The Apostle Paul put it this way, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b–14, CSB). It was this understanding that kept him going during adversity and opposition. He knew where he was going.
If you want to understand your destination, role, calling, and responsibilities, you must read and study. Successful people do that in their area of focus. They are constantly learning and growing so they can better reach their goals. Reading and study also helps to accomplish the next discipline.
This is where study is very helpful. If we are to accomplish our goal, it is good to read about people who have succeeded in the same thing. It is also good to learn the skills and knowledge are necessary. Every Christ follower has a common responsibility, to be an “ambassador” and a “minister of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5). A good ambassador will learn about the culture to which they are called, and understand how to share the Good News with those people.
It is often said that the biggest gap in the world is between knowing and doing. Do you plan to have God conversations every day? Do you look for opportunities to share the gospel everywhere you go? The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) already directs us to go and to make disciples. Have you made that a part of your daily “to do” list?
The average millionaire writes out three to six actions or priorities for the next day before they go to bed. They do this so these things are the first thing they “will do” when they wake up.
What is on your daily list? Personal time with God, praying, and reading the Bible? Looking for a divine appointment to share the gospel? You may not have time for a full conversation, but at least a sentence or a paragraph that points to the goodness and grace of God.
If people can follow principles to become successful in earthly things, then we can do the same thing to become successful in heavenly things. Read the scriptures. Be reminded of who you are in Christ and prepared for your task of being an ambassador. Then, go look for someone to share the story of hope. Together we can reach the goal of bringing the Good News of Jesus across the street and around the world.
For more information on No Sweat Evangelism, go to nosweatevangelism.com. The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has an Evangelism Consultant in your specific region that can help you in leading your church members to follow Jesus and work in His harvest fields. For more information, please contact the Evangelism team of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and schedule a consultation. You can also join the conversation on Facebook!
This article originally appeared on gabaptist.org.
