Never Settle
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Paul says to the church in Thessalonica; “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact, you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (NIV). Notice how Paul commends them on what they have done and are currently doing and then he encourages and “urges” them to do “more and more.” Paul did not want them to become common or too comfortable in their God-pleasing lives. He encouraged them to keep growing.
I wrote recently about how the enemy of the great is the good. Sometimes we become so satisfied with how good we are that we never reach our greatness. Craig Valentine puts it this way, “Are you too good to be great?”
Waylon Jennings, after finishing an album, was asked if he was satisfied with the album. His response was, “If I ever become satisfied with an album then I am finished as a country singer.” Jennings seemed to be indicating that no matter how good an album was he was never quite satisfied. He continued to look for ways to make the next one even better.
My dad used to build birdhouses. I can remember, as a kid, he would spend what seemed like hours continuing to work on a birdhouse that already looked perfect to me. He would continue to look for blemishes and imperfections until he got it just right.
What do Paul, Craig Valentine, Waylon Jennings, and my dad all have in common? They never settled! They never said that is good enough. They kept working on their craft. They celebrated their accomplishments but they never allowed their accomplishments to cause them to just be satisfied. They continued to improve. They never settled!
Never settle! If you want to truly climb to your God-given potential then never settle. Celebrate your victories and accomplishments, and then look at how you can climb to the next level. God is not done with you… so never settle!
Do you have a story of someone who never settled?
