LEARN TO THINK FOR YOURSELF (4)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 

“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature.” Lk 2:52 NLT 

This is what we know about the first thirty years of Jesus’ life: He grew spiritually and intellectually as well as physically. Think about it: He spent thirty years preparing for a ministry that would last three and a half years. That’s a ten-to-one ratio. But His three and a half years changed the world! Bottom line: Jesus was a thinker who lined up His thoughts with God. And as His disciple, you’re called to do the same thing. That’s not easy, and it may not make you popular. Most people want to take the path of least resistance. Or they fear rejection. Or they believe there’s wisdom in doing what everybody else does, or that others must be right because they write books and appear on television. But if you want to succeed, you must know what’s true according to God’s Word and what’s best for your life, not what’s popular. As you begin to think against the grain of popular thinking, remind yourself: (1) unpopular thinking, even when resulting in success, is largely underrated, unrecognized, and misunderstood; (2) unpopular thinking contains the seeds of vision and opportunity; and (3) unpopular thinking is required for all progress. Popular thinking brings mediocre results. Here is popular thinking in a nutshell: popular equals normal equals average. It’s the least of the best and the best of the least. You limit your success when you adopt popular thinking. It represents putting in the least amount of energy to just get by. But if you want to accomplish uncommon results, then you must reject common thinking and be guided by the unchanging truths of God’s Word.