Action Based Faith

The term, “new theology of achievement” is about working hard, working smart and trusting God. It’s about striving to realize our best selves.  It is about doing something magnificent with our lives while we are here on this earth. As I have said for years on my SiriusXM radio show, “God’s gift to us is life! Our gift to God is what we do with our lives!”

Proverbs 13:22 says that “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” My commitment to that scripture is, in order for us to leave something of significance, we must have achieved something! And in order to achieve something, we must work hard, work smart and trust God. We must have initiative and then take action!

In order to have initiative and take action, we must have faith, as well as courage. Faith and courage are necessary ingredients to achieve great results in life and to maximize the gifts and talents God has given us. Peter had courage when he stepped out of the boat and started walking on the water. And it was only when he lost his courage and became afraid that he started to sink. You must have courage to maximize your faith! And it starts with your viewpoint on faith.

Everyone has a philosophy on life, which means that everyone has a system of thoughts, perspectives and values that they live by. They can either see life as a glass half empty or a glass half full. There is a song I heard a great deal when I was growing up, and would sing along with. The song is “Que Sera, Sera” and it goes like this:

Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be…

The future’s not ours, to see, Que Sera, Sera.

I always thought it was a pretty song, yet never really listened to the lyrics. But I now realize the philosophy of the song is totally opposite  my personal philosophy! It basically says that whatever will be, will be…the future we can’t determine. The implication is that we have no impact on how our lives turn out. We have no control over our lives! As a result, we might as well not be concerned about the future and not even try!

But, I believe a person without a vision for their future will perish. Yet, a person with a vision for their future will flourish. And, the best way to predict the future is to create it!

It is about your philosophy and your personal theology. Everyone has a philosophy of life. Some people see life as a long journey filled with constant hurt and pain, sadness and struggle, difficulty and disappointment; which culminates in death and they get to go to Heaven and get their rest. While others see life as a beautiful and wonderful journey that has some downs, but has many more ups; and after this journey, we get to have an even better life with God in Heaven.

Each person has a theology, a worldview of God or of faith. We’ve learned something about God, either from parents, friends, schools or the communities where we grew up. Whatever we have learned is how we see and perceive God, how we live our lives, and how we see the world in general. I see theology as much more than a discipline that we study in seminary,  but rather how that learning orders our beliefs and actions. Theology, therefore, becomes our way to see the world, our philosophy and how our lives are ordered.

Everyone has a philosophy and a theology of life and death. Some people have a philosophy that life is a dog (usually spoken of in the context of a female dog, who has just given birth to a litter of puppies), and then you die. Their philosophy and theology is that life is bad and then death is worse. But there is another philosophy that is quite different.

There is the philosophy and theology of the lady who went out everyday dressed up, even if she was going to the grocery store. She felt life was one big party and she was dressed for the celebration each and every day! When she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she went about preparing for “the next chapter,” as she called it. When she died, her funeral instructions directed that she be buried with a fork in her hand.

When one of her children was asked why her mother was being buried with a fork in her hand, she shared her theological philosophy. “Mama wanted the fork because at the church dinners, after the delicious entrees and wonderful side dishes, the servers always told mom to keep her fork, because the best was yet to come – the dessert! She believed that life was good, but the best was yet to come, which was Heaven!”

As we work with this theology of achievement, remember that when all is said and done, it comes down to, did we do what the Lord requires. And what does the Lord require of us? In Luke 10:25-27, Jesus is asked what it takes to inherit eternal life and the answer was, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself!” In other words, Love God and Give Him the Glory and make a difference and serve others with an attitude of excellence!

In Micah 6:8 the Bible says, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy and walk humbly with your God!” I encourage you to move forward with this new theology of achievement mindset, and do what God requires of us. And remember, Your best is yet to come!

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There are many motivational speakers, and then there is the one, the only, the incomparable Dr. Willie Jolley. He has been described simultaneously as a world-class, award-winning speaker and singer, best-selling author and media personality.There are many motivational speakers, and then there is the one, the only, the incomparable Dr. Willie Jolley. He has been described simultaneously as a world-class, award-winning speaker and singer, best-selling author and media personality.

Dr. Willie Jolley has achieved remarkable heights in the speaking industry, having come from humble beginnings as a fired singer, who was replaced by a karaoke machine! He has gone on to be named “One of the Outstanding Five Speakers in the World” by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International, inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame and achieved the distinction of Certified Speaker Professional by the National Speakers Association. He’s the recipient of the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award, named “One of the Top 5 Leadership Speakers” by Speaking.com and Business Leader of The Year by The African American Chambers of Commerce.

Dr. Jolley is the host of the #1 Motivational Show in America on SiriusXM Radio. He is the author of several international best-selling books including, It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life, A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback, Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks and An Attitude of Excellence.

Many know him as the speaker who helped Ford Motors go from the brink of bankruptcy in 2006 to be able to reject a government bailout in 2009.