What is Optimal Intensity 1 Cor. 15

What is Optimal Intensity 1 Cor. 15

1. Intensity has a focal point
Intensity is not only energy its wisdom. It’s not not just energy its focus. Sometimes we see someone running around doing a lot of “work” and we think that person is intense. Or we see a speaker flailing his arms and shouting and we think he’s intense, but his ideas and thoughts are not well thought out nor progressive. As we grow in most walk with Christ and experience more, we want to be able to leverage wisdom against energy to arrive at the optimal intensity. 

1 Corinthians 15:58 58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

Sometimes we allow our circumstances to move us, our type A, adrenalin pumping, anxiety prone, nervous energy can be the proverbial taxi driver steeling our change and never getting us where we really need to go. I would watch my kids, when they were younger and wonder, “where do they get all the energy from? Play, play must play was their mantra. As a staff we want to make the most of our efforts. We convince ourselves and others that work is getting done because we are “busy”. We can be busy with the wrong things. That’s why Paul says stand firm. Don’t be moved by the wrong goals, wrong objectives, wrong teachings. If what you are doing isn’t what God has drawn up for you, than you aren’t standing firm for the right thing. What can we do to work with the right intensity? 

Find a point and take it
Create a pointe that you work toward. In other words set a goal the goal for your ministry that will keep you on track and give you measurable metrics to see you accomplish them otherwise you’ll labor in vain. They are accomplishing the goals they set. The fruit of the ministry tells me they aren’t sitting around drinking frapacino and watching dancing with the stars. Intensity has a focal point. If you are just expending energy on everything, you won’t accomplish anything. You intensity has to have a focal point. Find one and take it.

2. Intensity is not wasted energy
Colossians 3:23 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

I see many people working with all their heart, but it may not be on the right thing. I see people doing but it is far from serving. That’s when we have to ask is this the right time for the right thing? Have a bathed this in prayer? I see so many people working to put on a good show for men, for people. Do enough in public to show the church your good to go and squeeze by. What poor vision. I can tell when people are pursing a vision for their ministry with intensity or not. Their goals line up with the mission of the church. They are seeing people come to Christ. The best way to do this is to learn to manage your schedule.

Measure and evaluate your killowatts of minististry. 
Here’s an exercise I’ve asked staff to do in the past and has been asked of me as a staff person. Keep track of what you do in 30 minute intervals for one week. Then review that. Pray over it and see if there aren’t areas where you need to spend a sabbath, add a devotional, crank up the juice on your work ethic, spend more time with the family. I’ve found that this exercise works much better when you do it with someone you can be accountable to and show them your weekly day timer and evaluate it together. Whether you do it together or on your own, I believe you’ll find it beneficial. Don’t burn watts that are unefficient. Don’t burn work time with play time.

To work with intensity you need to insert these things into your life: 
1. Daily devotion
2. Weekly sabbath
3. Metric monthly (measure your work and effectiveness) 
4. Sabbatical annually.
5. Find a friend whom you can talk with and hold you accountable
6. Pray, Pray, Pray