Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Quit Trying!

"Pastor, I've tried everything."  If I received a dollar for every time I heard that statement...well, you know. 


Perhaps you feel that way.  Perhaps you've made that statement concerning your marriage, your ministry, your finances, your kids, your job, etc.


Friend, there is a difference between TRYING and DOING.  


Suppose I asked you to try to pick up an ink pen...and you picked it up.  Then I tell you to put it back down because all I wanted you to do was try to pick it up.


What are you saying?  Well, you either pick it up, you don't pick it up, or you try to pick it up.


The point is that when we say we are TRYING we don't really have to do anything.  It also provides us with an excuse for why we didn't accomplish the outcome we say we want.


In other words, we either do something or we don't do it.  TRYING is really the same as not doing it.  it just makes it easier for us to let ourselves off the hook when we fail.


We are TRYING to do a lot of things...

  • Are you trying to live for God or are you living for God?
  • Are you trying to lose weight or are you losing weight?
  • Are you trying to improve your marriage or are you improving your marriage?
  • Are you trying to better your career or are you bettering your career?
  • Are you trying to get along with others or are you getting along with others?
  • Are you trying to be faithful to church or are you being faithful to church?
  • Are you trying to tithe or are you tithing?
Do you see the difference?  It may sound like a small distinction, but it has huge ramifications.

Friends...let's STOP TRYING and START DOING!
  1. Take the word TRY out of your vocabulary.  It's not helping us, it just makes us feel better when we fail.
  2. Make up your mind to DO or NOT DO.  If you really don't want to do something...fine.  Don't do it.  But don't act like you are trying when really you have no intentions to do it.
  3. Be all in!  We're either giving 100% or not.  Decide that you're "in it to win it."
Quit trying and start doing!  We can DO it!