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Never Settle for Mediocrity

This devotional was written by Jim Burns

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5

Too many people today settle for second-best in life. Mediocrity is all they put into life, and mediocrity is all they get out of life. Yet Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). He doesn't sound like a person who chooses to be average, and you don't have to be average either.

There's a Native American story about a brave who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All his life the changeling eagle, thinking he was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. He scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. He clucked and cackled. And he flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that's how prairie chickens were supposed to fly!

Years passed, and the changeling eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

"What a beautiful bird!" said the changeling eagle to his neighbor, "What is it?"

"That's an eagle—the chief of the birds," the neighbor clucked. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him."

So the changeling eagle never gave it another thought. And it died thinking it was a prairie chicken.*

GOING DEEPER:

1. According to John 15:5, how much fruit will a persons life bear who remains in Jesus? What does John mean by "fruit?"

2. Sometimes our circumstances cause us to settle for second best in life. Commit to God right now to being open to all He has in store for your life.

FURTHER READING: John 15:16, Galatians 5:22

*Anecdote retold from What a Day This Can Be by John Cateior, ed., Director of The Christophers (New York: The Christophers)

Jim Burns is the president of HomeWord. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has more than 2 million resources in print in 20 languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of HomeWord, which are: Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books are: Doing Life with Your Adult Children. The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage, Have Serous Fun and Finding Joy in the Empty Nest.  Jim and his wife, Cathy, live in Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi; three sons-in-law, Steve, Andy and Matt; and three grandchildren, James, Charlotte and Huxley.

For more information and resources please visit HomeWord.com.

Audio By Carbonatix

Never Settle for Mediocrity

This devotional was written by Jim Burns

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5

Too many people today settle for second-best in life. Mediocrity is all they put into life, and mediocrity is all they get out of life. Yet Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). He doesn't sound like a person who chooses to be average, and you don't have to be average either.

There's a Native American story about a brave who found an eagle's egg and put it into the nest of a prairie chicken. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them.

All his life the changeling eagle, thinking he was a prairie chicken, did what the prairie chickens did. He scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects to eat. He clucked and cackled. And he flew in a brief thrashing of wings and flurry of feathers no more than a few feet off the ground. After all, that's how prairie chickens were supposed to fly!

Years passed, and the changeling eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird far above him in the cloudless sky. Hanging with graceful majesty on the powerful wind currents, it soared with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.

"What a beautiful bird!" said the changeling eagle to his neighbor, "What is it?"

"That's an eagle—the chief of the birds," the neighbor clucked. "But don't give it a second thought. You could never be like him."

So the changeling eagle never gave it another thought. And it died thinking it was a prairie chicken.*

GOING DEEPER:

1. According to John 15:5, how much fruit will a persons life bear who remains in Jesus? What does John mean by "fruit?"

2. Sometimes our circumstances cause us to settle for second best in life. Commit to God right now to being open to all He has in store for your life.

FURTHER READING: John 15:16, Galatians 5:22

*Anecdote retold from What a Day This Can Be by John Cateior, ed., Director of The Christophers (New York: The Christophers)

Jim Burns is the president of HomeWord. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has more than 2 million resources in print in 20 languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of HomeWord, which are: Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books are: Doing Life with Your Adult Children. The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage, Have Serous Fun and Finding Joy in the Empty Nest.  Jim and his wife, Cathy, live in Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi; three sons-in-law, Steve, Andy and Matt; and three grandchildren, James, Charlotte and Huxley.

For more information and resources please visit HomeWord.com.