Do you feel like you’re wasting your time? That you are moving away from your dreams and goals? Perhaps the decision not to be negligent about your life is the step that will put you on the path to success.
This is how an ancient Jewish king named Hezekiah reproved and encouraged God’s servants and people to stop being negligent about their lives and to respond to their calling and the assignments stemming from it. So restoration can begin and things can become as they should be.
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense. (2 Chronicles 29:11)
What It Means to Be Negligent about Life
Negligence is the waste of time, the squandering or non-utilization of what we have, mismanagement, carelessness, and slackness. To be negligent about life is to have an attitude of inattention towards God’s design for our lives, the resources, and talents that He has entrusted to us; towards His choice and particular vocation. God wants us to be His servants and to serve Him wholeheartedly, and voluntarily with all that we are and what we have. This is God’s recipe for a successful life.
To be negligent about life means doing something not with due diligence and not taking proper care of what is entrusted to us. We need to understand that our lives, our bodies, and our souls, along with all our talents and inclinations, are a precious gift from God. These are resources that God expects us to manage well under His guidance and with full awareness of the responsibility we bear. Another aspect of negligence is unpreparedness. We often want to use the shortcut and reach the goal without paying the price, that is, without making any effort. This naturally does not produce the desired result.
To be negligent about life means also to forget. Forgetting is a serious problem. The Bible is full of God’s call not to forget but to remember. To lead a successful and fulfilling life, we need not forget who God is, who we are, and what God’s will for our lives is, because it gives us a stable motivation to live by following His design. It is necessary to remember His works, His goodness, His faithfulness, and care. Let us not forget that every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17).
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How Not to Be Negligent about Life
Not being negligent with our lives means being careful and caring. It also means to be devoted to something, to be concentrated and focused. Dedication requires commitment; it is a long-term project requiring endurance and strength. Focusing on something also requires constant decision and choice, as well as saying “no” to other things that struggle for our attention and time. The good news is that when we decide not to be negligent and devote ourselves to God’s plan for our lives, God supplies the necessary power and grace to stay focused and follow the outlined path.
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and then sink yourself into that. Dont compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can do with your life. (Gal. 6:4-5, MSG)
Each of us must take responsibility for doing the creative best we can do with our lives.
The Role of Preparation and Success
Not being negligent about our lives means getting prepared and ready. Preparation is half the work it defines the successful performance. Very often, the preparation for something takes much more time and effort than the completion of the job itself. That is why we need to resist the temptation to take a shortcut and to skip or shorten the preparation process.
Every successful musician, artist, writer, or athlete will tell us that talent is not enough. It takes many years of preparation, a lot of work, and stamina. God is the best coach, mentor, and teacher in the world. When we decide that we want to pay the price and get through the preparation, He takes care to guide us through every step of the way and to supply all the resources and help we need.
Last but not least, the opposite of being negligent about life is to be successful. God desires even more than we do for us to have a successful life and to fulfill our call to be His ministers and co-workers, each one in his place, each with his unique abilities and calling. Nothing can compare to the joy and satisfaction of serving God with all that He has given us; in the place, He has chosen for us.
8 Major Steps from Negligence to a Successful Life
- Understanding and acknowledging that life and everything we are and have is a gift from God that we should use for good and His glory. The decision to appreciate the gift and the Giver.
- Surrendering our life and path to God under His direction and control.
- Accepting and following through the preparation and sanctification process.
- Acknowledging that we can not do it alone. Resolution to seek and rely on His power and grace.
- Resolving to find our place and use everything God has given us. Commitment to be good stewards.
- Choosing not to be dependent on the results because we have no control over them. But we have to do our best with what we have been given and leave the results to God.
- Understanding what it would cost us and willingness to pay the price. Willingness to sacrifice one thing to win another.
- Believing that with God’s help, we will succeed and accomplish the longings and dreams that God has put into our hearts.
More Helpful Resources for a Successful Life
If you need more resources on how to put these principles into practice and live a successful life, I could recommend these very helpful books:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Success is a Choice by John C. Maxwell
Success Is Not an Accident: Change Your Choices; Change Your Life by Tommy Newberry
Transforming Your Thought Life by Sarah Geringer
Dream Big by Bob Goff
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Your Turn
Do you have the feeling you are wasting your time? Which areas of your life do you want to be more successful? Do you know what work and assignment you have been given? Come and share in the comments!
Each of us must take responsibility for doing the creative best we can do with our life. #Faith #Motivation #BibleTeaching #bgbg2 #ChristianLiving Share on X Nothing can compare to the joy and satisfaction of serving God with all that He has given us, in the place He has chosen for us. #Faith #Joy #Satisfaction #BibleTeaching #Life #bgbg2 Share on X
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Thank you for this post! I was reading Joshua 18 when some of the tribes failed to do what God told them to do and became complacent and negligent. Which later on causes them huge problems. I find that I tend to not endure all the way. So I’m glad I found this post.
Thanks, Jessica! I am happy you found this post helpful and encouraging. We all need God’s grace daily to help us endure all the way. Blessings to you!
This article is really helpful. Thank you!
Thanks, Karen! Blessings!
This is good stuff. Needed this reminder today!
Thank you! I am glad that you found it helpful.
Great post! Enjoyed reading it. I understood that God has called us to serve and wants us to put our talents into use and this can be achieved by surrendering to him and hoping in him for success. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Sometimes it is so easy to compare with others and neglect the truth that every one of us has a unique place and a part to play.
This was such a blessing to read! Thanks so much for this timely message. May God help us to be faithful stewards of all He has graced us with. Many blessings to you!
Thank you for these positive and encouraging words!