by David Scott Robertson
“So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?” – Proverbs 22:19-21
Along Life’s narrow way there are many course corrections and adjustments to be made. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. The Bible talks about, “[continuing] to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). That’s what I’ve been doing today. (It’s raining hard and I’m feeling contemplative.)
I haven’t gotten it all figured out, but in meditating on my personal pilgrimage towards Christlikeness and trying to somehow gauge my progress… what follows is a list of thirty things I’ve come to believe and principles I’ve discovered to be true.
Many of you will recognize them because they are lifted right out of the Bible (which I hold to be infallible, inspired and inerrant), some are from preachers and teachers I’ve read and heard, some natural observations, and some really are original thoughts. Our lives are like a mosaic, a beautiful tapestry interwoven by many skilled fingers. Following are things that are shaping the person you know as David: -
30 WISE SAYINGS
1. The Bible is utterly right regardless of what you and I think.
2. Right is right, no matter who opposes it. Wrong is wrong, no matter who endorses it.
3. With God, all things are ally are possible.
4. Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard, it’s hard.
5. The anything I’m doing is better than the nothing that I’ve done.
6. Many hands lighten the load, so discover the delight of delegation.
7. Never do ministry alone if you can help it.
8. The top 20% of your priorities will yield you 80% of your results.
9. Everything rises and falls on leadership.
10. I would rather pay the price of good communication than suffer the consequences of poor communication.
11. Consistency is the key,
12. Success is a journey – and there’s joy in the journey. It’s not all in the reaping, there’s plenty of joy in the sowing.
13. If you aim at nothing you will most certainly hit it. Written goals are important.
14. Don’t expect unless you inspect.
15. Every task needs a deadline.
16. If a project doesn’t make it to my calendar it won’t make it.
17. If usually doesn’t take much (time, energy, money) to please most people.
18. Success in Life doesn’t rise too high above doing the basics well.
19. God uses the most unlikely characters.
20. One person can make a difference.
21. There are advantages to adversity.
22. Failure is not final if you fail forward.
23. Mistakes are not always a waste of time and resources.
24. We can never go wrong when we put God first and people second (both ahead of yourself).
25. Beware of people who always respond to your question of ‘how are you doing?’ with ‘super fantastic!’
26. No-one has a monopoly on the truth.
27. Listening well is more important than speaking well.
28. Many, many worthwhile things are have been done by people who didn’t feel well at the time but did it anyway.
29. Take God more seriously and your self less so.
30. You can do more after you have prayed but you cannot do more until you have prayed.