How can I get more done? How do I make the most of my accomplishments? - Accomplishments - TouchPoints

Ecclesiastes 4:9Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.

Accomplishments are multiplied through a team. It is impossible for one person to play a duet or trio. You can’t play team sports without a team. It is hard to have a happy marriage if only one mate works at it. Two people can actually do more than twice as much as one, as long as they are pulling in the same direction.

Exodus 4:10-12Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

2 Chronicles 14:11-12Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled.

John 15:5“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

Romans 8:26The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It is impossible for a branch to grow grapes if it isn’t connected to the trunk and roots. It is impossible to accomplish great things for God’s Kingdom without relying on God’s strength and guidance. It is often through our weaknesses and our recognition of our need for him that God accomplishes his greatest works.

Genesis 2:2-3On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Exodus 23:12“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.”

Psalm 4:8In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Matthew 14:10, 13So John was beheaded in the prison, . . . As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.

Mark 6:30-32The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

Luke 5:16Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

God did not make us to live in a constant state of “accomplishing.” From the beginning of creation, he set an example of resting at the end of the week—not because he needed to, but because we need to. He intentionally created us with a need for sleep in order to rest our minds, bodies, and spirits. Our time should never be “too valuable” to spend time in rest or in prayer. Jesus, whose time was more valuable than anyone’s, regularly escaped the busyness of his ministry to spend time alone in prayer. He encouraged his disciples to take time for food and rest after their own busy time of ministry. Rest is a kind of faith—a trust that God is in control, and the world will not fall apart if we leave it unsupervised for a few hours. Rest and prayer strengthen and enable us to accomplish everything God has called us to do.

Luke 6:10He [Jesus] looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!

Matthew 25:20-26, 28-29“The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! . . . ‘ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.’”

One of the most important traits of a servant is faithfulness. Whatever God chooses to entrust us with, even if it seems insignificant, provides an opportunity to live faithfully. As we grow in love, humility, and diligence, he may entrust us with greater responsibilities. Whether he gives us five talents or two, though, we can look forward to the same glorious affirmation: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Proverbs 20:18Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.

Isaiah 25:1O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

Planning helps us steward our time, opportunities, and resources. God planned before he accomplished, a good model for us to follow.

Psalm 37:23The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 21:30-31No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.

James 4:13-15Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

While planning ahead is valuable, our human strategies are limited by our limited power and perspective. Following God’s perfect ways sometimes requires us to have faith as we move forward in obedience.