Everybody has the potential to do something in life; that is because everybody has a gift, provided by God, to be able to make a living and to be able to minister.

         Proverbs 18:16 tells us, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (KJV) The question is, if everybody has a gift, how is it that some are able to take that gift to a higher level and some others, even with a greater gift, never do?

         I want to propose four elements to you, 1) Natural Abilities, 2) Hard Work and Dedication, 3) Attitude and 4) Passion. Each one of these ingredients is key to success.

1. Natural abilities: This means that you don’t have to do much of anything for those abilities to flow. You run faster, you learn to shoot the ball faster than others, you have better than normal reflex, great coordination, eye sight, you understand math better than the average person, remember dates, etc. Natural abilities are the God-given gifts; nevertheless, they can only take you so far; they do have limits. I have seen some kids that are great track and field athletes back home at the local or regional level, but as soon as they step into the State level competition, they fall apart. There is an explanation for that; they are lacking other elements for success.
2. Hard work and dedication: If God does it all He will be promoting laziness. Hard work and dedication are so powerful that it can take somebody with less potential and make him better than somebody with all the potential in the world, but consumed with pride, laziness and lack of discipline. One thing that we must understand is that God has nothing good to say about laziness. Proverbs 13:4 tells us, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” (NKJV). You may say, well that is Old Testament stuff; but the New Testament echoes the same message. Colossians 3:23 tells us, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,” (NKJV)

         You can win locally with your eyes close; it so easy! You can continue doing that same job for 20 more years. But many will never even try to go to the next level, that is because the next level requires hard work and dedication.

         As I said before, natural abilities can only take you, but so far. Soon or later those natural abilities will not be enough to take you to your full potential. That same lazy kid will never be able to shine at the State Level competition because, even as his natural abilities are amazing, his dedication is sloppy.

         So the kid that did not have as much potential, but busted his butt in the gym, who study his sport and who constantly work on improving his technique beyond the time with the coach, will indeed become that State Champion, get that promotion and enjoy a breakthrough to the next level. The higher the level, the harder work and dedication is required.

         Hard work and dedication is what I like to call the level field. Here you can actually see the kid with less talent totally dominate the one with all the talent in the world, but no dedication. It is the soul of the diligent that makes him rich,[1] in other words, makes him prosper; it is not the soul of the talented.

3. Attitude: This is the magic ingredient that brings everything together nicely. A good attitude is a teachable spirit manifested in humility. The Bible tells us in James 4:6 “…“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” You can be good and you can be dedicated, but your attitude may close or open doors for you. Nobody likes to work with a jerk! That good attitude will enable you to leave behind a greater legacy.
4. Passion: If you do not have passion, you need to desperately pray for it. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Do you have a dream? Do you have direction in your life? Are you working on something? Passion is the engine God gives you to go after what you want with all of your heart. Passion will cause you to practice that extra hour, to wake up early to train hard and to work on your technique; to work on that degree or that certification, etc. Passion takes no excuses; passion will make the time and will drive you to the top. Without passion you are wasting your time and everybody else’s. Without passion your are a dead man walking; without passion you are actually destroying yourself.

         So, what are your natural abilities? What are the talents God gave you? That is just the beginning; talent is not enough!

Recommended Reading: Matthew 25:14-30

[1] Proverbs 13:4