Ram Down The Gate

You read books like "Good to Great" by Jim Collins and think about all the ways to make good things become great things. Then you hear stories about Dan Gable, who not only was all about perfection, but was determined to turn great things into best things. Why settle at great things when you could be the best at what you do? Would you 'ram down the gate' to get done whatever you had to do? Would you do whatever it takes no matter how great the sacrifice, to be the best at what you do? Dan Gable was an All-State wrestler who won 4 state championships undefeated in High School. He went on to college where his first three years at Iowa State he won 3 NCAA National Titles going undefeated. His senior year was much like his whole life until the National Title match...where he lost...his last college match. He went 181-1. The dude was a beast yet that last one stung. He was 1 win away from being perfect. Some would say that was a great career, unbelievable in fact...Dan Gable says it all was a failure. He went on to compete in the Olympics the next year winning Gold and not losing a single point in any of his matches. He was determined not only to be great but to be the world's best and he did whatever it took to get there. He never celebrated with his teammates after he won Gold. In fact, that very night, he went out running in preparation for his next run at Gold. Talk about intense! But there is a good lesson to be learned here...The way you approach things will determine what you get out of it. I must refuse anything but perfection. My effort must correlate with my commitment to excellence. A calling in life is not an occupation, it is an identity. We who are called in Christ, must find our identity in Him. We all have great potential, but what are we doing about it?

In Exodus 3, Moses moved toward the bush and then God spoke. I must move towards God and He will speak but I must move towards God's activity...not just when I want something. In ministry it is impossible to feel burned out because if that is the case you are relying on your own strength and power. We often times forget that our God is the source and we must constantly tap into Him and be filled with life in Christ. I am not burned out...I may just have been poured out...but that is a huge difference. Remember that God is the lifeline and wants us to rely on Him. We will not reach our full potential if we keep thinking we can do something. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is in Deuteronomy 34:7 because we see that one of the greatest men to ever walk the planet in Moses didn't reach his full potential. He didn't get to live in the promise land because of his disobedience. The worst thing that could ever be written about me is not reaching the potential that God wants in my life. Not being the man that God has called me to be. If God can make something out of nothing, imagine what He can do with your something!? A "fatal flaw" is something in your life that goes unchecked, and given the right time and right place, it will be exposed and become your demise. Moses' "fatal flaw" was his anger...for David it was women...I am the only person that can sink my ship and I must be aware and careful of my "fatal flaw". I must be tapped into the resource of life found in Jesus Christ. I must be determined to give my very best for God and not settle. I must never measure myself to other people because God has a perfect plan for my life. I must always be obedient right away because delayed obedience is still disobedience. I must remember that God always provides. God wants to bless us greatly but I must remove my preference and serve the King whole heartedly to the best of my ability.