1. Don't measure yourself by others, but measure yourself by your potential in Christ. 2. Give 10% of your focus to avoiding obstacles to productivity and 90% on pursuing great goals. 3. Life has different chapters, focus on the demands of the chapter you are in. 4. Focus on finding what your goal is, and make it work in everything you do. 5. Get a sense of Gospel rooted accountability before the living God. 6. Add to your sense of accountability, a sense of urgency. 7. Don't be lazy. (see "sluggard" Prov 20:4) 8. Many chops fell a huge tree. (You want to do something grate? Don't quit!) 9. Be willing to do many things in your life, cheerfully, that you don't love to do. 10. Find your niche, the thing you love to do.
For 36 years I have loved the Lord with all my heart and enjoyed being as productive as i could for Him. I served alongside my Pastor husband for 25 years in a local church then 6 years as missionaries in a very needy third world country. I saw God do wonderful things, saving souls and healing broken bodies. Then tragedy struck when i was seriously injured in an accident that has left me struggling with the simplest daily tasks. God has been silent to my pleas for healing and I am now learning what it means to really 'be still and know God'. I honesty can say my prayer life has deepened and my compassion for others has become so much more real. I have found God more than sufficient no matter what. For some my productivity looks like zero. But I rest on God. Blessings to all who struggle to do something for God.
"Be willing to do many things in life, cheerfully, which at first you don't want to do". I'm glad you clarified this, I think we often feel if it's not easy, it's not God. God didn't intend for us to strive by our own strength, but he does challenge and stretch us!
Aiming to be the fullest, most God-centered, Christ exalting, bible saturated, loving, humble, mission advancing, justice seeking, “others serving” version of ME! Thanks for the encouragement 😊
No Way !!!! [ would it not perhaps be incredibly difficult trying to cope ? E.g. , 'with evil - serving me ----> [ ? = serving me ,.... right ; for allowing or enabling them to take over ??? ]. So please expand.. as I also need the encouragement ! THANKS
John-Rodney Speirs I was reiterating what John mentioned. So when listening I wrote in agreement, to be the best “others serving” version of ME. I’ll edit for clarity 🤷🏾♀️
You don't hear pastors talking about productivity much. This is fabulous. It can be hard to balance a tendency towards workaholism with the innate desire to work hard at something and give ourselves to something. Thanks for this, John.
Summary : 1. Don’t try to be like anyone else. Be the most God-centered person YOU can be. 2. 90% focus on great goals and 10% focus on eliminating obstacles/distractions. Energy comes from your YESes, not from your NOs 3. Focus on your current season/chapter in life. Eg- a season to focus on parenting if you have children 4. Get a vision of your Big Goal in life 5. Gospel-rooted Accountability : your working out of salvation is not to earn righteousness but because you are already made righteous 6. Urgency : redeem time 7. Resolve to live/do whole-heartedly with all your might. 8. Many chops fell a tree - keep at it on big goals 9. Be cheerful to do those things that you don’t at first enjoy doing 10. Dedicate most of your time to your niche, that which you love
I am a student at Liberty U. and this was part of my weekly assignment prep. As a personal development 'junkie' I consume many time management training, and this was premium wisdom. Thank you.
Father God, praise you for you will not accept witchraft cycles or sin to hold me back any longer to progress in my freedom in Christ as well as moving forward in my studies and career, binding every cycle of stagnation in my current studies and career to be broken, while binding myself not to be unequally yoked with and have any common share with anyone stagnating in having freedom in Christ and those not moving forward in one's studies and career or hindering others to move forward in studies and career, in accordance with this word and philippians 1:20 john 9:4, 2 corinthians 6:14-18 in the name and blood of Jesus Christ, amen and hallelujah, glory to God!
So much great wisdom for our holy walk in our life in this video, I have to save it to watch this through out my whole life. God bless you pastor John.
This could not have come at a better time. Thank you so much. I especially liked the "many chops fell a big tree". I have to build a boat, not a real boat but something else that is equal to that and this really spoke to me. Love all of it. Especially John's passion when speaking it comes out in his books to. Francis Chan turned me on to Pastor John Piper and it has been awesome! Spot on this man loves the Lord. Thank you so much.
1. Ask how you can be the fullest, most God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated, loving, humble, mission advancing, justice-seeking others serving person you can be. 2. Give 10% of your focus to avoiding obstacles to productivity (energy and vision don't come from this) and 90% on fastening on to great goals (future possibilities that take you captive) and pursuing them with all your might. 3. Since life comes to us in chapters with different possibilities, focus on them with all your might. 4. Give serious thought and prayer to what your big consuming goal is. 5. Understand the Gospel and the spiritual dynamics of how it works. You don't labor to get in the right relationship with God, you labor because you are in the right relationship with God. 6. Add to your sense of accountability a sense of urgency (the days are evil). 7. Do all that you do with all your heart (not half-heartedly) - Ecclesiastes 9:10. "Resolve to live with all my might while I live." -Jonathan Edwards Don't be a sluggard - Proverbs 20:4 8. "Many chops fell a huge tree." It took Robinson Crusoe 22 days to chop the 5 feet 10 inches tree, 14 more days to chop the branches off, a year and a half to finish the boat. - Doing something great takes time and hard work. 9. Be willing to do many things in life cheerfully that, at first, you don't want to do - things that don't come naturally to you. There is no worthwhile role in life that does not first require you to do what you don't want to do. 10. Find your niche - the thing you love to do (despite the weaknesses).
Same I love math, science, and technology. I have such love for owning businesses but I can't see how to use it for GOD because it doesn't seem "religious'. But I think now I am realizing that GOD put these talents in us to give him glory rather religious or not. For you, you could use your singing to express love for GOD and people, or maybe it don't have to be about GOD at all but just it brings joy, peace, kindness, forbearance, and goodness. For me I think I can just make objects to make the world a better place :D. And now I just got how I can give glory to GOD.
you can sing hymns, songs of worship, maybe go to a children's group and sing to them, or an assisted living home, or anywhere and spread the gospel through your music.
Write Love me too! But I was rejected in my church for singing on stage. But I keep on longing for it! I cannot stop that. Have you been singing in the meantime?
Be prepared to sacrifice your "niche" for God. We tend to do what we're comfortable with or what we naturally enjoy. I believe it's God's place to define what he wants us to do, not the reverse. His purpose will frequently go against what we want.
Carishma Nevis there is a link in the video, but keep in mind that there is approximately 1000 videos answered on RU-vid, so you might find your question answered! God bless you!
Sounds good but it just isn't realistic for me personally and I admit I am one of the most lost people I know but I've tried everything praying begging God fasting and I just cannot find why I'm here ..I am not trying to say John is wrong he's a great man with alot of great advice but I always seem to want some excitement from time to time and all the verses and encouraging scriptures don't help at all and I'm plagued every minute with thoughts of suicide and this " relationship" that I always hear about has never been something I've been able to attain no matter how much I talk to God and I have asked him and expressed that I want a relationship with him
