February 5 Business by the Book Nehemiah 2:8 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. Aristotle said, “Well begun is half done.” Nehemiah was “well begun”. He received the king’s approval, he obtained the documents and raw materials he needed, and he even had a royal escort protecting him; now it was time to deliver. Nehemiah had everything he needed to potentially complete the task at hand, but until he was finished that is all that it was - potential. Potential is a wonderful thing if it is fulfilled. Potential unrealized is a sad tale indeed. Every new job, every new task, every new endeavor is filled with potential. But there comes a time when the newness wears off. This is when potential is in its most tenuous state. Potential can only be fulfilled through day to day drudgery, the weariness of work, the tediousness of toil, and the loneliness of labor. Consider the potential of prayer. It is limitless. Yet, not praying limits prayer’s potential. The same with work, the potential of work is almost unlimited, however, one must work. Lack of energy (work) put to a task is a sure way to destroy potential. Probably every employer has experienced the sadness of a new employee displaying tremendous potential only to have that employee fail because they lack a strong work ethic. Years ago there was a man who joined a church that had great potential to be a children’s church preacher. He loved the Bible, he could imitate any person or animal, he had a good sense of humor, and he could capture the interest of young people and keep them engaged. But he would not come to church faithfully. He would come and go, here for three Sundays, out for two. Ultimately, he moved to another town. Hopefully there he found a church in that town and reached his potential for it was tremendous. Again, potential is wonderful if fulfilled and sad if unrealized. The best way to reach potential is to begin doing that which is needed and continue doing it until finished. Nehemiah did, and every successful person in every walk of life has done the same. They began and they worked, and when success came others called it luck. Until tomorrow, carry on your Business by the Book today, William T. Howe, PhD If someone has forwarded this daily devotion to you and you would like to be added to our email list, please reply to [email protected] Your email address will remain private, we do not share email addresses. );
Posted on: Wed, 05 Feb 2014 18:01:05 +0000
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