I Can Accomplish More By Doing Less

In review of 1 Corinthians 6:12 it says, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say — but not everything is beneficial”

Bottom Line:

You may have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial

What this means to me:

While I may be able to do anything, not everything is good for me. I should especially not allow myself to become a slave of it.

Today's verse comes from 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul speaks in particular regarding avoiding sexual sin. He starts by saying that while we are allowed to do anything, not everything is good for us. We should be careful to not become slave to it. We can't say that our bodies were made for whatever we want. In reality our bodies were made for the Lord and he cares about them and what we do with them.

While the context Paul was speaking of relates to sexual immorality it’s also helpful for realizing that I can’t keep doing all kinds of things and filling up my schedule. I must periodically prune the activities I engage in.

Gardeners prune trees and plants for the health of the plant and for fruitfulness in the next season. If there’s no pruning, there will be no fruitfulness in the next season.

Every year, I sprout new activity branches. I’m doing some things now that I didn’t do a year ago. I’ve added them on. But I need to consider what have I cut out or pruned in exchange? I can’t just keep adding and adding to my schedule without cutting back, without pruning my overall activities.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say — but not everything is beneficial” (NIV).

God has given me a free will and with it I permitted to do anything. Which means that I can go out and overload my schedule 10 times over, and God’s not going to stop me. But it doesn’t mean it’s the beneficial thing to do.

I will have to learn to say “no” far more than I say “yes.” I cannot do all the good things in life. Since I can’t do everything, I need to determine what are the right things to do. What are the things that God wants me to do with my time and energy?

Selection is the key to being effective. I’ll be more effective if I figure out what I’m not going to do as well as what I’m going to do.

If I don’t periodically prune the activities in my life, God will do the pruning for me. It will happen through an illness, crisis or something, because I cannot live beyond my limits month after month (and I’ve experience this before.)

Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). But no matter how bad things may seem, I can know for sure that God always has my best in mind. I tend to think I can do why more than is realistic.

Today I will consider why is it so difficult for me to admit that I have limitations?