Introduction:

God’s desire for His Children is for them to prosper, grow and make progress and not just exist and survive. However we notice that while few progress most barely get through. Is our God partial to bless only few? As we browse through the Bible we see several instances of God accomplishing extraordinary achievements through ordinary people. As we study the lives of these individuals we recognize specific principles at work, these principles are the Laws of Progression which when practiced will cause individuals to excel and not just exist.

The First law of progression: Personal Mission Statement

The first law of progression: To move forward in life we need “To have a personal mission statement”.

A personal mission statement is one that clearly articulates the reason for our existence. John 4:34 tells us that Jesus’ mission statement was to do the will of the Father and to complete His work here on earth. The recorded ministry of Jesus lasts about three and a half years. In this short time, He accomplished a lot: He travelled, He preached, He healed and finally, sacrificed Himself for all mankind at Calvary.

The last words He spoke on the cross were “It is finished”. He was conscious of His mission even to His last breath. On the third day, He rose from the grave and today, is the King of Kings. How did Jesus make such progress while on earth? He had a mission statement and He lived in order to fulfill it. His life here was driven by this purpose.

A mission statement has to be simple but specific. For instance, it can be something like “I want to be a blessing, materially, emotionally and spiritually, to those whom I come in contact with”. A personal mission statement such as this spurs us into action. Let’s look at the example in the sentence above to illustrate this.

To bless someone spiritually, we need to be connected with God in a manner that allows us to receive His insight so we may pass it on to others.

To bless someone emotionally, we need to work on better time management so we could spare time for those who need us.

To bless someone materially, we need to do the work that we do with diligence in order to generate sufficient resources to share with others in need.

When we don’t have a mission statement we are like a piece of wood tossed to and fro in the ocean. The waves of life will throw us around and we will be unable to do anything about it because we are aimless and confused. A mission statement is like a lighthouse that will direct us towards progress.

If you find yourself without a personal mission statement, ask God for guidance. When you receive it, note it down and keep reminding yourself about it. Your life needs to be centered around it.

Progress, is then, inevitable.

First Law Bible Reading

Second Law of Progression: Accountability

The second law of progression: Accountability

The sooner we realize that we are accountable for our lives, the faster we will progress through it. While our life should never be lived independent of God, we should also not discount the fact that we are stewards of all that God has given us, including our life.

Life is a series of choices and the kind of choices we make have a lasting impact on the direction our life takes. Joseph could have spent his life wallowing in self-pity when he was enslaved in Potiphar’s house or when he was imprisoned unjustly. He could have spent his time scheming up means of escape, to return to his father’s house. Instead, he chose to be accountable in the circumstances he found himself in and gave his best in all that he did. His attitude so pleased God that He prospered him to an extent where he was appointed the Prime Minister of the land.

In Matthew 25, Jesus drives across the concept of accountability through a parable. A man, before going on a long trip, gives three of his employees five, two and one talent respectively. On his return he finds that the employees to whom five and three talents were given had proved to accountable and doubled the amount, while the third employee to whom one talent had been given had returned the amount just as it was given to him. The two employees who had displayed accountability were given additional responsibilities or promoted, while the one that did not was stripped off the responsibility he already had.

Accountability will ensure that we meet with success in whatever we do. Instead of murmuring about the situation you are in or waiting for the right circumstance to come along, start being accountable in every situation that God places you in. When you learn to give your best at all times, you will please God. And when God is pleased, He will surely bless you. Choose to be accountable irrespective of place, time or the people watching.

Second Law Bible Reading:

Matthew 25:14-30

Genesis 39:23

Third Law of Progression:A Desperate Need to Accomplish The Goal

The third law of progression: A Desperate Need to Accomplish the Goal

To move forward in life, we should be desperate enough to accomplish our goal. In other words, we’ve got to want it real bad. However, whatever it is that we want should be in accordance with God’s will.

Often, we would like to move out of a life of mediocrity to one of accomplishment. But we do not make progress because we are not desperate enough to accomplish anything. We don’t desire our goals enough. In the passage above we come across a blind beggar who on realizing that Jesus was passing by, calls out to Him to heal him. Even though the crowd warns him to shut up, he keeps calling out to Jesus—in fact, he gets louder. This shows the level of his desperateness. He was tired of being blind; he was tired of being stuck in a situation that seemingly had no way out; he wanted change real bad. And because of his desperation, he did receive his healing.

This beggar was very sure about what he wanted—he did not want money or shelter–and he did not compromise on it; not even an angry crowd could stop him. When we want something real bad, no obstacle can hinder us from getting it. Jesus’ parting words to the beggar were “Your faith has made you well”. In other words, the strength of his desire to get healed got him his healing.

Take another look at your personal mission statement. Are you desperate to accomplish it or are you just hoping that you will get around to it someday? Does the number of obstacles in the way hamper you? Remember, nothing can stop progress that is in line with God’s will, if only you want it badly enough.

Third Law Bible Reading :

Luke 18:35-42

Fourth law of progression : Mentally Achieve Before Physically Accomplishing

The fourth law of progression: Mentally Achieve Before Physically Accomplishing

“This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee.” – 1 Samuel 17:46

This is perhaps the most significant of all the laws. Before we accomplish anything in the physical realm we need to first accomplish it in our mind.

In the passage above we read of one of the most interesting incidents in the Bible. While the entire Israelite army cowered in fear before the Philistine giant, Goliath, who had challenged any man from the Israelite army to a duel, David, a young shepherd alien to the ways of war, bravely steps out and, to everyone’s amazement, kills Goliath.

How did this teenage shepherd boy accomplish such a seemingly impossible feat? In 1 Samuel 17:46, we find David declaring what he was going to achieve that day and how he was going to achieve that. In his mind, David had already seen the victory and this was the secret of his success. To paraphrase Henry Ford, whether we think we can or we think we can’t, we are right. If we cannot picture ourselves achieving our goals in our mind, it will be impossible to carry out our mission. Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” If we can see the end even before we start, we are already halfway there.

Have you already achieved your goals in your mind?

Fourth Law Bible Reading :

1 Samuel 17

Hebrews 11:1

Fifth law of progression:To Progress We Need To Stay Ahead Of The Pack

The fifth law of progression: To Progress We Need to Stay Ahead of the Pack

In the passage above we see a demonstration of this law. The King of Egypt has a dream that disturbs him and he gathers all the wise men and the magicians of the land to explain it to him. While none could do so, Joseph, a prisoner at the time, interprets the dream to perfection. He could have been satisfied with this because this was all that was required of him. But Joseph goes one step further and provides counsel to the king on how to deal with the kind of future the dream implied.

Joseph was a prisoner in a foreign land. In the king’s court, there were men who were more learned and more experienced than he in counsel. But this did not stop him. He seized the moment and by doing so, was appointed the Prime Minister of the land.

Unless we make an effort with God’s guidance to stay ahead of the pack, progressing is difficult.

Staying ahead of the pack involves

• • Taking initiative
  • Using the gifts and talents God has blessed us with
  • Taking risks
  • Seizing God-given opportunities
  • Being proactive
  • Obeying God without reservations
  • Sharpening our knowledge and skills
  • Choosing to stay ahead stay ahead of the pack

Fifth law Bible Reading :

Genesis 41:1-45

Sixth law of progression : Anticipate and Prepare For Obstacles

The sixth law of progression: Anticipate and Prepare For Obstacles

Obstacles are a sign that we are well on our way to progress. Most of us are disappointed when we encounter obstacles and tend to discontinue our efforts because of some misguided idea that the way to progress should be problem-free. However, we need to understand that on the road to progress, obstacles are inevitable, so we might as well anticipate them and prepare to overcome them well in advance.

In the passage above we see Nehemiah doing exactly this. Nehemiah was embarking on his mission of rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem. Anticipating the kind of obstacles that would arise, Nehemiah prepares for them by requesting the king for letters that provided him with wood and with safe passage to Judah.

When we continue through this book we find that Nehemiah faced numerous obstacles. But nothing deterred him. Every time he faced a problem, he sought God’s help and God provided it. Every obstacle he overcame might have become one more reason for him to accomplish his goal. In other words, the obstacles he faced made him more determined.

Frank A. Clarke said, “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

The greater the obstacle, the more significant the goal. If the number of obstacles that keep cropping up discourages you in your life, choose to persevere and ask God to see you through. He will provide the solution. On the way to accomplishing your mission remember that obstacles will be there and prepare to overcome them.

Sixth Law Bible Reading :

Nehemiah 2:1-8

Seventh law of progression : Stronger The Spirit, Higher The Success

The seventh law of progression: Stronger The Spirit, Higher The Success

We notice this law in effect in Daniel 6:3. Daniel was considered a prime candidate for the position of a Prime Minister despite being a foreigner and a captive because an excellent spirit was in him. We’ve heard this oft-repeated phrase where there is a will there is a way. The word ‘will’ in this proverb denotes the spirit. With the right spirit or attitude, we will always find a way to progress. It is the quality and strength of this spirit that determines how much we progress.

Life is not always easy and the kind of circumstances we face tend to deflate our spirit. Our problems, deadlines and tragedies overwhelm us and sap the strength of our spirit. It helps, at times like these, to remember people like Nick Vujicic. Nick is an internationally sought after motivational speaker. He has the ability to leave his audience spellbound and speechless. What he doesn’t have are his arms and legs. He was born without them.

One can say that this would have given him a justifiable reason to wallow in self-pity. But not Nick. He can hop to wherever he chooses to go using his foot that grows at the bottom of his torso. He can type up to 43 words per minute using the two toes on that foot. He can keep himself afloat in pools, paddling with that foot. He can groom himself, write, and open doors with his mouth. His mission is to encourage people who want to quit. According to him, “Having no arms and legs has gotten me into some doors I would not have been able to walk through otherwise.”(Courtesy: Lori Baheda)

What is it that makes Nick different? It is the strength of his spirit. Instead of murmuring, he chose to be a blessing. Today, God is using him mightily across the globe as a blessing to millions of lives. Maybe your problems are bigger than Nick’s disabilities. Maybe they are not. But what you need to remember is that it is not your circumstances that determine your progress but the spirit with which you deal with them

Seventh Law Bible Reading :

            Daniel 6:1-5

Eighth law of progression : Everyday Counts

The eight law of progression: Everyday Counts

While this law is simple enough to understand, many of us stumble on this one. Jesus knew the importance of making each day count while ministering here on earth. John 21:25 says, “Of course, Jesus also did many other things, and I suppose that if every one of them were written down the world couldn’t contain the books that would be written.” Jesus was so focused on what He did that the kind of wondrous things He did are too many in number to be recorded. He made each day count.

In the verse above we see the psalmist seeking God’s help to teach him to number his days. In other words, he meant, “Lord, help me realize that my life here is temporary and that I need to live each day wisely and effectively.” In order to progress, we need to live each day to its fullest.

In Proverbs 6:6-8 we read, “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” Something as tiny as an ant has a lesson to teach us. Without a leader or a guide, the ant labors to store food, preparing itself for the future. For so small a creature, it has enough within it to realize that if it doesn’t, it will suffer.

Are you making each day count? Progress can be a difficult process otherwise.

Eighth Law Bible Reading :

Proverbs 6:4-11

Psalms 90:12

The ninth law of progression: Finish What Has Been Started

Tenth law of progression – Act Now

The tenth law of progression: Act Now

As we conclude this chapter, let’s take a look at the last law of progression: Act Now. No matter how great and wise our plans are, if we fail to execute them, it is all in vain. In the verse above we are warned of the dire consequences of procrastination and laziness. The best time to act is now. There is no better time than the present time.

You have seen a number of laws on progression. Have you already begun to practice them or are you

waiting for the right time to do so? Choose to seize the moment if success is to be yours.

 Tenth Law Bible Reading :

Esther 4:1-17

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Author:

We would like to thank Mr. Rajiv Chelladurai who is working as Chief Excellence & Distribution officer in a Leading MNC for providing us the permission to publish this awesome Devotional article.

For more information, please visit: www.rajivchelladurai.com