Stay Focused (5)

summer fruit swap: stacked
Originally uploaded by jek in the box

That special gift...you were given...keep that dusted off and in use.
1 Timothy 4:14

Paul told Timothy to focus on his strengths. 'That special gift...you were given...keep that dusted off and in use.' Focused people don't hide their weaknesses or excuse them; instead they focus on their strengths! There's a story about a couple who decided to build a farm. Then they began to argue. The wife wanted to build the house first. The husband wanted to build the barn first to house the animals. They went back and forth until finally the man said, 'Look, we have to build the barn first because the barn will enable us to build the house, the garage, the silo, the kids' swing set, and everything else!' When you focus on putting first things first, everything else is more likely to fall into place.

Tony Campolo says, 'What you commit yourself to, will change what you are and make you into a completely different person. The future conditions you, not the past. What you commit yourself to become, determines what you are; more than anything that ever happened to you yesterday. Therefore, I ask you, "What are your commitments? Where are you going? What are you going to be? Show me somebody who hasn't decided, and I'll show you somebody who has no identity, no personality, no direction."' Focusing on weaknesses instead of strengths is like having a handful of coins, a few made of gold, the rest of tarnished copper, and setting aside the gold coins to spend your time shining the copper ones in hopes of making them more valuable. No matter how long you spend, they'll never be worth what the gold ones are. So, stay focused on your God-given strengths!

Copied from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.