How much do you know about me?
· My favorite colors? Blue & Brown
· My favorite meal? Hamburgers
· My favorite exercise? Running
· My favorite Bible passage? Psalm 139:13-17
· My favorite music? Smooth Jazz and Southern Gospel
Are you surprised by any of my answers? All of those are pieces of who I am, but what you really need to know about George Cope is that I am a diligent person. Don’t tell me I can’t do something unless you’re ready to be proven wrong. I believe that this trait came from my learning disability background and from being told you “won’t make it,” or “you just aren’t smart enough.” If you hear that long enough, you’ll fight to prove people wrong. It took a while, but I found my educational way and earned a doctorate degree, have you?Now don’t get me wrong. That last statement isn’t meant to be cocky, but a matter-of-fact statement. How could I do it? Diligence! Dr. Mark Rutland in his book, Character Matters, gives four faces to the virtue of diligence:
1. Diligence means constancy. Temporary obedience is disobedience.
2. Diligence means instant. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
3. Diligence means exactitude. Partial obedience is disobedience.
4. Diligence is observant care. Careless obedience is disobedience.
He concludes by saying, “Diligence is the responsible, orderly, steady application of God’s power within me toward whatever responsibility is mine.”
During this prayer and fasting season, expect God to speak to you concerning increased spiritual responsibility. We are not doing this solely as a spiritual discipline, but for the purpose of increasing spiritual purpose in our lives. This is not an exercise in futility, but one of spiritual proportions that will manifest to others your spiritual diligence.
When these 21 days are over, what will people know about you that they don’t know now? You think about that and apply these truths to your life!
I’ll meet you at the Throne,
Pastor George
So I've come to realize that God likes to have a little fun with me. By that I mean that I'm not one who necessarily responds when spoken to in a polite and acceptable tone. In those instances I find I'm really more of the ridicule and mock the messenger type. I find that I am one that needs to be stunned into silence by the obsurdity by which the message was delivered and received or bowled over by the sheer insanity of the timing of the message. Luckily, God has seen these deplorable traits of mine and taken to shouting at me across the crowded rooms of my mind and life.
ReplyDeleteAll of that was to serve as a preamble to this "Thank You" to you, Pastor Cope for being the messenger in this instance, and to the Lord for meeting me where I'm at, getting through to me regardless of my stubbornness, and NEVER giving up on me.
“Diligence is the responsible, orderly, steady application of God’s power within me toward whatever responsibility is mine.”
Here's to working hard towards true diligence daily!