Productivity
Rest is a good thing, idleness is not. Ecclesiastes 10:18 says, "Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks". Obviously, there are lazy people but most idle potential leaders are idle because of a lack of understanding. They have gotten the wrong perception about what it takes to be industrious or successful. In talking with one young first time pastor years ago I said, "you need to be at your office at work". He said, "I'm bored there. I just can't sit there all day". Being on the job, whether it's keeping office hours or on the move touching lives with encouragement and practical caring requires planning. You can't roam around aimlessly expecting success to occur.

As a young church pioneer I learned that if I would go to the office and get to work, ministry to people would begin to take place. Before long I would have more ministry than I could do. There is something about just "starting". Even when I work in my office at home, I like to get up, get my shower, shave and go to my desk ready to work. There's something about a posture of productivity. I'm ready to accomplish something. However, posture of productivity is only a part of the picture. You must have a plan. There's an old adage that says, "plan your work and work your plan". I'm amazed at how many people live like firemen with their pants and boots ready at the foot of the bed. They are ready for the next fire. If you have that attitude, you will be allowing circumstances to rule your life. There is no planning here. I'm convinced a person can live their entire lives simply "putting out fires" and going from one crisis to the next. It all sounds noble but in the end little will have been built for the Kingdom of God. When Jesus went back to his own home town the Bible says, "he could do no mighty works there except he healed a few sick people". On the other hand the Scripture tells us that Jesus did what he saw the Father doing. From his time with the Father there came a plan. Jesus didn't wander around without purpose. He didn't allow circumstances to set his agenda. He didn't even allow the needs of people to be his primary motivation. Othewise, he would have simply been a humanitarian. It had to be the will of His Father. Doing the will of the Father is the thing that connects our productivity with the eternal.

Once you have gotten the idea or the plan you must act on it. First, capture the idea! Ideas are easily lost. They must be saved. Write them down, make a recording or whatever works for you. When the idea first comes you think it is so clear that you will never lose it. That's not true. Many wonderful ideas that could have benefitted mankind have been lost forever because they weren't captured. Once you capture the idea, now you can ponder it, meditate over it and let it grow and develop. While all this is happening, keep recording all the ideas that are following the original idea. What are you doing? You are dreaming! Dreams get bigger and bigger. As good as this is, it's only a dream until you put the dream into motion. You see, at this point you are simply another dreamer. The world is filled with dreamers. Now is the time to do something with the dream. You will never do anything with a dream until you put it on your calendar or agenda. Working from your calendar is the action part of "plan your work and work your plan". An idea is not a plan until you have it written down. At times I will delegate a task to someone and I'm concerned because I don't see them write it down. If they don't write it down it won't get on their calendar and it won't be accomplished. Haven't you experienced the waiter in the restaurant wanting to impress everyone with his ability to remember the orders of all eight people in your party, without writing it down? You end up with someone's side dishes or a piece of pie with your dieters platter!

What a joy to see the fruit of your labor. It is one of the great inner rewards of life. You can do it!