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Having the Courage to refuse to become Comfortable
“Good is the enemy of great.”
-- Jim Collins
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.”
-- William Arthur Ward
Mediocre comes from a Latin root word:
mediocris "of middling height or state," originally "halfway up a mountain," from
medius "middle"
This is the story of Terah. Terah had Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran had Lot. Haran died before his
father, Terah, in the country of his family, Ur of the Chaldees. Abram and Nahor each got married.
Abram’s wife was Sarai; Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran. Haran had two
daughters, Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no children. Terah took his son Abram, his
grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram’s wife) and set out with
them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as
Haran, they settled down there. Terah lived 205 years. He died in Haran.
(Genesis 11:27-32 MSG)
I. Understanding that God doesn't want me to ___________________________
Back at Horeb, God, our God, spoke to us: “You’ve stayed long enough at this
mountain. On your way now. Get moving. Head for the Amorite hills, wherever people
are living in the Arabah, the mountains, the foothills, the Negev, the seashore—the Canaanite
country and the Lebanon all the way to the big river, the Euphrates. Look, I’ve given you this
land. Now go in and take it. It’s the land God promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob and their children after them.” (Deuteronomy 1:6-8 MSG)
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II. Remembering that God never wants me to settle for ____________________
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the
heavens. (Psalms 8:1 KJV)
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the
city of our God, In His holy mountain. (Psalm 48:1 NKJV)
III. Knowing that if I don't become comfortable I will obtain ______________
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to
win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade
away, but we do it for an eternal prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24, 25 NLT)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in
store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed
for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV)
"Come, let’s talk this over!" says the Lord; "no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can
take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as
crimson, I can make you white as wool! If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey,
then I will make you rich! (Isaiah 1:18-19 TLB)
Thoughts to Ponder:
Terah became comfortable where he was and missed where God was taking him
Confess out loud... I've let good enough be good enough long enough. I will not
become comfortable. I will keep reaching for all God has for me and my church
family!
My God is not a mediocre God so I will never become comfortable with mediocrity
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