DaleTedder.com
  • Home
  • About
  • Devotions
  • Resources
    • Southside Life Group Studies
    • A Year with Jesus
    • Spiritual Power
    • Bible Books >
      • Living Wisely in Turbulent Times
      • Philippians
      • 1 Samuel
    • Costly Discipleship
    • Spiritual Life Checkup
    • Men's Discipleship Basics >
      • Southside Men
    • Master Plan of Evangelism
    • Wesleyan Methodist Links
    • Favorites >
      • C.S. Lewis
      • Spiritual Direction
      • Pastoral Ministry
      • Lewis and Schaeffer
      • Richard Baxter
      • The Puritans
  • Blog
  • Prayer Journal
    • Heidelberg Catechism
  • Bookstore

What Is  Mediocrity?

7/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
This post is sort of a "part 2" to the post below on success.

Question: What is mediocrity? What examples of it have you witnessed recently? How do you prevent mediocrity from attacking you, your family, or your business?

Answer: I would say my definition of “mediocrity” is, not pursuing my God-given calling. Examples of mediocrity in my life would include: Not seeking to grow in my faith. Not learning about myself. Not learning how to develop myself so I can increasingly become who God made and called me to be. Not taking responsibility for my life. Not seeking to bear much, good, and lasting fruit for Christ and his Kingdom. General laziness and, sometimes, apathy. I guess with these examples I'm trying to point toward the direction of my life as opposed to results. While we participate in the process, results are ultimately up to God.

Some folks may be given five talents, some two, and some one. What counts is not how much you’re given, but what you do with what you’re given. Are you faithful with what you’ve been given, or do you tend to bury your talents in the ground? No effort – no risk – no trust in God. That describes too many of us. That has described me all too often.

I think we slow the influence mediocrity in our lives by obeying God, trusting him, staying close with him, continually seeking to be filled with his Spirit, staying in God’s Word, praying, praying, and praying some more, pursuing lifelong personal development and learning, etc. AND... traveling along this path with others is key.

The sanctifying process is more than learning how not to sin. While it obviously includes that, it also incorporates the positive act and attitude of conforming more and more to the likeness of Christ and renovating our lives under his Lordship so that we can grow toward our God-given potential…for his glory. Putting off sin and putting on righteousness. Dying to self and rising with Christ. We must continuously move forward, becoming progressively sanctified (i.e., becoming more like Christ, who perfectly fulfilled his calling). In all of this, God's grace is required. (I'm not endorsing a "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" mentality.)

I have experienced mediocrity in my own life. Every time I have daydreamed or surfed the net too long, watched too much TV, slept in too late, etc., I have embraced mediocrity.* But I think I’ve come to understand that I move toward overcoming mediocrity in my life only as I make the most of the time God has given me.

Very practically speaking, that means having a God-glorifying plan, (related to the various spheres of my life), and then faithfully, strategically, and consistently working that plan. There's certainly more to say about this, but this is a start.

​By the way, I just started reading a great book by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy, entitled, Living Forward, which addresses these very ideas. Best of all, they provide a great road map (or action plan) for how to "live forward."

* Just a note to say I have not defined how much "too long, too much, or too late" is, regarding the things mentioned in this sentence. That's going to look different for each of us. I know the difference between "taking a break" versus "being lazy" in my life. You'll have to figure out the difference between the two in yours.

​Just a quick thought for today.

Grace and Truth,
Dale

0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    100 Godly Men
    Apologetics
    Biography
    Books
    Boyhood
    Burning Heart
    Catechesis
    Character
    Children
    Christ & Culture
    Christian Influence
    Christianity
    Christian Living
    Church
    C.S. Lewis
    Culture
    Devotional & Encouragement
    Discipleship
    Doctrine
    Evangelicalism
    Family
    Fatherhood
    Glorifying God
    Godly Manhood
    Good Reads For Kingdom Minded Men
    Gospel
    Holiness
    Husband
    Kingdom Discipleship
    Kingdom Man
    Kingdom Of God
    Library
    Manhood
    Mediocrity
    Men
    Men's Ministry
    Mentoring
    Mercy
    Missions
    Parenting
    Poverty
    Prayer
    Prayers
    Puritans
    Reading
    Right Path Devotions
    Sanctification
    Satan
    Social Justice
    Sons
    Southside United Methodist Church
    St. Patrick
    Study
    Success
    Theology
    Witness
    Worldview


    Archives

    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015


    RSS Feed

Location

Click an image below to visit the bookstore

Picture
Picture

Contact Us

    Subscribe to my weekly devotional today!

Submit
  • Home
  • About
  • Devotions
  • Resources
    • Southside Life Group Studies
    • A Year with Jesus
    • Spiritual Power
    • Bible Books >
      • Living Wisely in Turbulent Times
      • Philippians
      • 1 Samuel
    • Costly Discipleship
    • Spiritual Life Checkup
    • Men's Discipleship Basics >
      • Southside Men
    • Master Plan of Evangelism
    • Wesleyan Methodist Links
    • Favorites >
      • C.S. Lewis
      • Spiritual Direction
      • Pastoral Ministry
      • Lewis and Schaeffer
      • Richard Baxter
      • The Puritans
  • Blog
  • Prayer Journal
    • Heidelberg Catechism
  • Bookstore