Are You In Control Or Are You Growing.

Rick Warren, the pastor of the famous Saddleback Church, said, "You can structure for control, or you can structure for growth, but you can't do both."  That is so true.  Let me share with you a few principles.

#1 - Structure is your plan for your future.  If you have a healthy diet, you structure what and when you eat.  If you are on a weight loss program, you structure your exercise and diet.  If you want your kids to be smart, you structure their education.

- The reason why you struggle with your money, your marriage, your career and so on is that you don't know how to structure them.

#2 - You can be in control.  If you want to keep your life on the safe and secure path, then work very hard to keep everything the same.  Don't change anything.  Just do what you have always done and you will get what you have always got.

- The problem here is simple.  Everything changes.  You've got to change with it.

I really don't want to admit the following.

As a young child, I remember my grandmothers old crank telephone that used a party line.  If you don't know what I am talking about, Google it.  I remember that phone being replaced by a rotary phone.  (Again, Google it.) I remember when phone numbers started with letters.  I remember when rotary phones gave way to touch tone.  I remember when answering machines used cassette tapes.  (Google, Google, Google.)  I remember when cell phones looked like bricks.  (I owned one.)

What if I refused to use all these "new-fangled" phones?  Well, I would be in control of nothing because I couldn't talk to anyone.

#3 - You can grow.  Growing is risky.  Always has been, always will be.  If you are going to grow financially, personally, relationally or spiritually you're going to have to take some risks.  Now all of us have, and we've all felt the pain of our mistakes and failures.  That might motivate you to be in control, but someday your old crank telephone is just going to sit there and do nothing.  You will wonder, "What happened?"  Life left you behind, that's what happened.

2 Tim 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Life was meant to be learned.  Jesus teaches you how to live it.  He want's you to grow.  He is the one is in control.  If you can learn that simple principle, it will change your life forever.