The Challenge: Greater Effort!

THE CHALLENGE: EFFORT: STRETCH YOURSELF…

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com YouTube Wade Hughes. (This is a 3 part lesson.)

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

WHY DO I DO WHAT I DO? Why don’t I do what I don’t do? We must work willingly and whatever we do, we do as unto the Lord. We are working for the Lord not the applause of people.

THE EFFORT YOU EXERT WILL CAUSE US TO LIVE LIFE AS BITTER OR BETTER?

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

My friends we must be faithful and strong. JOY AND PEACE MUST CAUSE US to always work with zeal and enthusiasm. God keeps good records of what we do and why we do it.

When we start anything it seems easy, to CONTINUE REQUIRES GREAT EFFORT. With time we tend to forget effort. PART OF THIS IS DETERMINED BY THE EFFORT WE GIVE. JUST SELL THE BUILDINGS… IS ETERNITY WORTH INVESTING OUR TIME, TALENT AND ENERGY TO ACHIEVE? Will I settle for the minimal or do I know there is more? CAN I IMPROVE? WHAT IS MY VALUE SYSTEM AND PRIORITIES? Real Effort demands ACTION!!

To be a good gardener requires more than a plow and loving plants. We must learn to hate weeds that limit and hinder growth. Will we establish the HABIT OF EFFORT? When we get tired we must not quit.

TEXT:

Matthew 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

It is said 30% of people that were faithful to church attendance before COVID will not return to faithful attendance. It is estimated that 15% OF PEOPLE IN CHURCH TODAY WILL LEAVE CHURCH in the next year. In 2 years that is a 30% loss of faithful attendance. People will get hurt. Offended, burned out, tired and just throw up their hands in disgust and quit.

Let us decide the answer to: WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR? WHAT AM I EXPECTING? WHAT EXCUSE WILL WE GIVE AS OUR OFFERING? Many churches have shut their doors. Some only have church once a week. Other churches have gone to once a month? Just sell the buildings?

THE MORE YOU FOCUS ON HURT, THE MORE YOU WILL SUFFER! Growth comes when we look beyond the pain and FOCUS ON THE LESSON! WHERE WILL WE FOCUS?

HOW MUCH EFFORT WILL WE INVEST? DEAD FISH CAN FLOAT DOWN STREAM! WILL WE FIGHT THE CURRENT? CLIMB HIGH! CLIMB HARD! WE MUST QUIT MURMURING AND COMPLAINING ….

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

THE HARDER THE CLIMB THE GREATER THE EFFORT! THE GREATER THE EFFORT THE GREATER THE REWARD!

The smaller the effort we exert the smaller the satisfaction. JOY comes when you know you have given your all. The sign half way up the mountain reads: YOU HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR, YOU HAVE FOUND YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE. YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR STRENGTH BY CLIMBING HERE. Reach higher than you dreamed you could ever make it. THE SIGN ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN READS: See many said you could never make. At times you even doubted yourself. YOU MADE IT.

IT IS BETTER TO AIM FOR THE STARS AND HIT THE MOON THAN TO LAND IN A MUD PUDDLE EVERYTIME. Set you sights on GOD’S TARGET.

EFFORT CAN TEACH US WE CAN ACHIEVE MORE THAN WE THOUGHT. WE MUST MAKE MORE EFFORT TO LEARN AND DO MORE THINGS. THE LACK OF EFFORT CAN CAUSE US TO GIVE UP AND QUIT. YOUR EFFORT TODAY CAN DETERMINE WHAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH TOMORROW. EFFORT KEEPS US MOTIVATED.

PEOPLE ARE ASKING DOES ANYONE CARE? CAN YOU HEAR BEYOND MY WORDS? CAN YOU HEAR MY HEART? DO I HONESTLY MATTER TO ANYONE? EFFORT?

IDIOMATIC PHRASE: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING. OFTEN THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH. WHEN THE LESSONS GET HARD AND THE GOING GETS TOUGH MANY WILL THROW UP THEIR HANDS AND QUIT. WILL YOU LEAVE ME TOO?

JESUS WAS KNOWN TO CRY. I THINK JESUS IS CRYING IN THIS PASSAGE. Jesus begins teaching some “HARD SAYINGS.” Will you receive this lesson? The crowd of people started MURMURING and BEING OFFENDED. ARE YOU OFFENDED?

John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

ANY ROMAN SOLDIER COULD MAKE A JEW CARRY HIS STUFF A MILE… THE FORCE MILE? SO WHAT? GO THE EXTRA MILE: THE FIRST MILE IS MANDATORY, THE SECOND MILE IS VOLUNTARY… EXERT MORE EFFORT THAN REQUIRED.