Two men were well known in their area of Oregon for their wood-chopping skills. The local residents always wondered which one of them was stronger and more capable of chopping through the most amount of wood in a given day. Finally, George went to Alan and challenged him to a contest.
The crowds gathered from far and wide and preparations were made for the contest. During the contest George, the challenger, worked hard, stopping only to eat lunch or occasionally drink water. Alan, however, not only stopped for lunch but took regular breaks. At the end of the day, Alan won the contest.
“I don’t get it, Alan,” said George. “You took more breaks and stopped more frequently than I did, and yet you chopped more wood.”
“Each time I stopped,” said Alan, “I was sharpening my axe.”
No matter what we do in life we need a good, workable strategy. Too often people work hard but not smart. Smart people plan what they are going to do and then work their plan.
Solomon wisely advised, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” This simple bit of advice will take us a long way if we want to become successful.
Success begins with a deep desire to do whatever God wants us to do. But desire is not enough. More than simply desiring success, we must work with all of our strength, our heart and our soul. We must first discover what God wants us to do, then, empower ourselves with preparation, look to God for His plan and guidance and commit ourselves to His leadership.
Prayer: Father, we know that You have a perfect plan for our lives. May we discover it with Your guidance, do it in Your strength and bring honor to Your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
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