‘Arise from the dead.’ – Ephesians 5:14
It is a well-recognized fact that action must be preempted by initiative. However, action does not invariably lead to success. The key is to continue to show initiative in the face of failure. I think that Thomas Edison said it best in describing his experiments. To paraphrase, he said that he never failed in an experiment; rather he simply found six thousand ways that didn’t work. That statement, tempered by the knowledge of Edison’s eventual success, is a testament to the power of initiative.
Initiative is not a new concept for mankind. It is hard-wired in our brains likely as a necessary survival skill. The hunter-gatherer, for example, who had no initiative to provide would have probably been doomed to starvation. In our present society, a common thread among successful people is that of initiative. Successful people repeatedly strive to achieve despite setbacks. Just how persistent they are determines the level of eventual success, as is the case I presented for Edison.
God asks for us to show initiative as well. Oswald Chambers notes that when he healed the man with the deformed hand, he first instructed him to hold the hand out so that it might be healed. This is where faith becomes important. God calls us to extend ourselves in order to receive healing. He asks us to first take the initiative to come to know Him.
There are key moments in our lives which test our faith, and thereby test our ability to show spiritual initiative. It is at these times that God asks us to arise from the dead. He asks that we pick ourselves up despite our stagnation and accept His inspiration. He does not pick us up, but He does help us to stand once we are on our feet.
In this day and age of perceived entitlement by so many, it becomes especially important to remember the role of initiative in our lives. As Chambers puts it, ‘God does not give us an overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome.’ All we have to do is to keep putting one foot in front of the other, allowing God to lead us into the life of service that He has intended for us.
It is a well-recognized fact that action must be preempted by initiative. However, action does not invariably lead to success. The key is to continue to show initiative in the face of failure. I think that Thomas Edison said it best in describing his experiments. To paraphrase, he said that he never failed in an experiment; rather he simply found six thousand ways that didn’t work. That statement, tempered by the knowledge of Edison’s eventual success, is a testament to the power of initiative.
Initiative is not a new concept for mankind. It is hard-wired in our brains likely as a necessary survival skill. The hunter-gatherer, for example, who had no initiative to provide would have probably been doomed to starvation. In our present society, a common thread among successful people is that of initiative. Successful people repeatedly strive to achieve despite setbacks. Just how persistent they are determines the level of eventual success, as is the case I presented for Edison.
God asks for us to show initiative as well. Oswald Chambers notes that when he healed the man with the deformed hand, he first instructed him to hold the hand out so that it might be healed. This is where faith becomes important. God calls us to extend ourselves in order to receive healing. He asks us to first take the initiative to come to know Him.
There are key moments in our lives which test our faith, and thereby test our ability to show spiritual initiative. It is at these times that God asks us to arise from the dead. He asks that we pick ourselves up despite our stagnation and accept His inspiration. He does not pick us up, but He does help us to stand once we are on our feet.
In this day and age of perceived entitlement by so many, it becomes especially important to remember the role of initiative in our lives. As Chambers puts it, ‘God does not give us an overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome.’ All we have to do is to keep putting one foot in front of the other, allowing God to lead us into the life of service that He has intended for us.
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