There is nothing worse than being caught as an intellectual weakling simply because you’re not a reader. I am not saying that reading is the “only” answer but it can sure help! Reading helps to make you a well-rounded person, improves your vocabulary and increases your knowledge and perspectives on life and living - reading helps you to be more articulate in your speech.

Reading and reading widely will prepare you as a person with a broad grasp of subjects. There is no need to be ignorant when reading can fill the gap.

Don’t fall for the clap trap of saying you’re not a good reader either. Start to read and read widely. Someone once said “Leaders are readers.” It’s true too!

You don't need to just read books either; there is a whole host of hard copy magazines and newspaper as well as the mountains of online reading of blogs, articles and e-books. You can get books on CD, there are a myriad of pod-casts available as well as pre-recorded messages. (But don't get sucked into saying you’ll just listen to podcast – the subject matter in books is enormous – read)

If you’re wondering what to read – check up on some of your favourite speakers and see what they are reading. Browse specific sections of Amazon and see the host of subject; you’ll find a recommended reading as well. Why not wander around a good book store and pick up a couple of interesting books and start the journey towards intellectual prowess.

Someone once mentioned it was important to be able to read people too!

Don't be an intellectual weakling with people kicking sand in your face – learn to read, learn to read fast and make sure you diversify by reading widely.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says “The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.”

Can we sharpen our ability to be diligent? I think so... as a matter of fact I think a whole team can sharpen this great tool for success, impact and ultimate influence in our world.

As a character trait it is astounding that diligence is in fact an aspect of our moral fibre that can be worked on, developed and tended to. You and your team can increase in diligence and make it a part of the nature, personality and temperament of your organisation.

A diligent person is a hardworking person with a divine sense of responsibility. It is obvious to imagine that a team will be even more impacting as they become thorough in their work and make sure a project meets its deadline in line with its outcomes.

As a team they are conscientious and careful that all aspects of the job are conducted to higher standards than normal because they carry a sense of attentiveness about the work that has been committed into their care.

Diligent people working together make for a winning team because as they make sure an assignment or an undertaking that has been delegated to them finishes well. This team can be trusted to produce a product or result others will prize and appreciate.

These kinds of teams are not just “self starters” but those who finish well. They attract attention because they come through with flying colours. These kinds of teams achieve their desires and the desires of those they serve. These kinds of teams create value.

Diligent people like diligent teams, become market leaders. Diligence combined with innovation and creativity will blow other organisations completely out of the water and deliver an experience that will not just meet expectations but exceed expectations. These kinds of team create profits by creating value appreciated by adoring consumers.

When you have diligence in the church world we become a people who increasingly attract attention, other look on and are amazed. It won't be long before they begin to utter words like “awesome” or “amazing.”

In our churches when diligent people lead we create the “wow factor” and people begin to understand how much we value them and appreciate them. Diligence reflects the underlying principle that people have inherent dignity and worth and we value that in them.

We can inspire people to be diligent. We can model diligence. We can develop diligence in individuals and teams by providing careful instruction and guidance. We can equip our team with diligence by unpacking the ingredients of this powerful characteristic.

Bill Hybels once noted that “...dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labour with diligence.”

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, and 3 times Prime Minister of Britain once said, “Diligence is the mother of good fortune.”

Is diligence the mother of good fortune? I think it is.  But what is diligence? [... diligent – diligently] The dictionary describes it as “...a constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; a persistent exertion of body or mind.”  

I love the other words we use to describe diligence as assiduousness, meticulousness, conscientiousness, thoroughness, attentiveness and carefulness. It means you are a persistent person who works with a sense of industry and who is tireless in your attention to a project.

Diligence is continuing to strive after a goal with focus, determination and without giving up; its crossing “T’s” and dotting “I’s.” Diligence is thinking through the process and determining the outcomes; looking at the alternatives and considering the variables.

What causes a person to be diligent? Why are some people lazy? Are you born that way; it is a personality trait? What makes another person thorough and another person have the attitude that near enough is good enough? Why are some people committed to pursue excellence in everything they do and yet others act so indifferently? Why are some people MORE diligent than others?

When you boil it down the answer is diligence is an aspect of our character and can be developed or ignored; it can be cultivated or left uncared for. Some people seem naturally disposed to be more diligent than others. Diligence is a trait that appears to be unaffected by maturity as some children seem more diligent than others. But as an aspect of character trait it is a quality you can grow in.

Wiseman and sage King Solomon ruler of ancient Israel once wrote Proverbs 13:4, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”  

Diligence has its reward; as Disraeli said it is the mother of “good fortune!”

To be continued.....

Join the discussion and leave a comment

Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor

Reliability: an underrated characteristic

To be reliable is to be dependable, accurate, and honest; it means you are a person who others can count on to be there and to be depended on. Being reliable means you don't have “hidden agendas” but speak truthfully, honestly and accurately no matter what the cost.

Being reliable is a character trait; it’s not something you DO it’s someone you ARE. Being reliable is part of your character and hence something you can develop. Character is the sum total of the traits and the distinguishing qualities of an individual. You can be of noble character or poor character; the choice is yours to make.

Being reliable means you are THERE when you say you’re going to be there; you’re reliable to be there on time. Reliability speaks to accuracy; its means that what you say can be trusted to be true.

Being reliable is being trusted, faithful, loyal, steady and responsible. You can see by this understanding that it does not describe behaviour but the inner qualities of character; the nature of a person.

In every team reliability increases and enlarges the capacity of the team. Reliability multiplies the capability and impacts the competence of a team. Reliability gifts and graces the team with trustworthiness and ultimate influence and authority.

Reliability affects the working of the team and gives the team a sense of genuineness and authenticity. This gives the team a big lift with the competition putting you ahead of the game in the most enviable ways!

When TEAMS function reliably the ORGANIZATION is able to achieve greatness. Reliability helps to achieve a rhythm and grace others will desire; it makes an organisation more productive, more creative, more prolific and more dynamic.

Being unreliable will SABOTAGE you personally undermining the development of character and will undermine the team and ultimately be the weakest link in every organization. Being unreliable destroys the fabric of true trust and makes you worth less to an organisation.

Paul the great apostle of the New Testament wrote to his protégé Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2Timothy2:2)

John Luther, author of Madam Butterfly, once said, “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece by thought, choice, courage and determination.”

Personal growth need not be like a low carb diet. You can read widely and enhance your own growth by being someone with a wide range of interests. I encourage our church to read widely to get the best they can from the resources available out there.

I encourage our people and our teams to read according to personal need as well – if you need to brush up on management skills or team building read books and listen to resources that specifically target the need. If you want to know more about grace then there’s so much out there.

Fiction: There are some great authors out there who write incredibly well. They write about history and historical themes; they write about people and how they act, react and respond to situations real and made up. You can learn a lot about various subjects and enjoy the read too!

I speak openly about taking care you don’t read just a certain authors exclusively or listen too much to a favourite speaker. I encourage our folks to take care of coming under the influence of someone else’s house exclusively. In fact one thing you should do is listen to the messages from your own house a second time.

In my experience I have had to deal with the fallout from people who are Mark Driscol fans or John Piper fans. Listen to me; there is nothing wrong with either of these guys but when you come under their influence you’ll find your church is not doing things with their flavour; it will cause division.

I encourage our church in the pursuit of personal growth to read widely. 

Jim Rohn says you become an average of the five people you associate with most. The people we spend our time with determine what conversations dominate our attention, and what observations, attitudes and opinions we repetitively are introduced to.

Spend your time with a team of high-achievers and you’ll be inspired to stretch for your next accomplishment, be it in your business, finances or personal agenda. On the converse, hang out with people who are “less than inspired” and you could quickly find yourself stagnant.

Evaluate and shift your associations into 3 categories:

1.      Disassociation

There are some people you might need to break away from completely—these are negative, toxic people who infect you with their bad attitude. It’s difficult to ignore someone and their negative influences but doing so will put YOU in control of deciding the quality of life you want to have. Then surround yourself with the people who represent and support that vision.

2.      Limited Associations

There are some people who you can spend three hours with, but not three days. Others you can spend three minutes with, but not three hours. Decide how much you can “afford” to be influenced, based on how those people represent themselves.

3.      Expanded Associations

Whatever area of your life you want to see improvement in, find someone who represents the success you want, the parenting skills you want, the relationship you want, the lifestyle you want, and spend more time with those people. Join organizations, clubs, businesses and health clubs where these people are and make friends.

Decide who of your friends are the best influences and make more time for them; it’s an investment of time that will prove profitable.

Lots of preachers and speakers know what “homiletics” is all about; the art of sermon construction. But it seems few understand the subject of biblical “hermeneutics;”which is the study of the principles of biblical interpretation.

Bible interpretation has a number of distinct laws; laws of interpretation such as:

1. The law of first mention – when a word or concept is first used in scripture God indicates in the first mention of a subject the truth with which that subject stands connected in His mind. For instance the first time “house of God” is mentioned in Genesis the connection is with “... how awesome is this place!”
2. The Agreement Principle: The truthfulness and faithfulness of God become the guarantee that he will not set forth any passage in his word that contradicts any other passage. In our evangelical statements of faith we declare the Bible is inspired and infallible and without contradiction; it would be good if our preaching followed this principle too.

There has been a recent trend the last decade of new preachers not necessarily having to attend traditional bible colleges but learn on the go in the local church. This trend both excites me and concerns me. It excites me because many new preachers are finding their voices and not being dislocated from local churches. However, the trend concerns me because it seems to me that many have missed out of on learning the foundations of theology; of which hermeneutics is an important and vital subject.

There seems to be a missing step in the process for some; that missing step is subjects like hermeneutics. Without good principles for biblical interpretation there is the chance of and the likelihood of faulty interpretation and unscriptural applications. It may make for exciting communications even a humorous delivery but if we believe that the word of God changes our lives then there is a great burden upon us to accurately deliver God’s word.

2 Corinthians 4:2-3, “... we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”

It is vital we understand the principles of interpretation to accurately “set forth the truth plainly.” Personal development is vital and to meet this need I want to suggest that those speakers who have missed the tradition of bible school to make sure they study this subject and make themselves aware of the principles of interpretation to accurately handle the word of God.

Book recommendation:

Principles of Biblical Interpretation by Louis Berkhof

I just felt God was there big time in every service. From Craig to Joel, from Jentezen to Louie. It was like powerful impact each time.

How do they do it? I mean the conference just gets better and better each year. Maybe I should say the conference continues to impact my life each year. This year was no different - only I feel like I've been even more impacted.

The main things I hear from the Lord over the week (and it has taken me a few weeks to process) is that God is calling me to some deeper prayer. I hear His quiet and gentle voice urging me to spend more time in His presence. Steve Penny's comment of just sitting in the chair each morning "waiting" on the Lord touch a very deep part of me.

As a leader of a growing church I know I need a message each week and we need to do a service (or 3) each week. But we can't just go through the motions. Each sermon and each service needs to be bathed in much prayer, every sermon to simmer in special prayer so we can communicate for a change!

So thanks to Brian and Bobbi for continuing to put this conference on each year!! 2010 sounds awesome with T D Jakes and Andy Stanley. Make sure you've booked for either Hillsong Conference Sydney or the one for Europe.

Thanks for reading. I hope this inspires others.

Tom Rawls

(Check out Andy Stanley's new book, "Communicating for a change.")

COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE - ANDY STANLEY A brilliant book about how we can preach and teach more effectively . Click here to buy from Amazon.co.uk