Big D and Little d,

I have been wondering how to proceed and came upon a possible plan, a possible format, and a passage to tie it all together. The plan was to pretend I was writing to you two only, the format was to present 25 life lessons from What It Takes by Stephen A. Schwarzman, and the passage is Acts 25. This book presents the author’s Pursuit of Excellence and while he grew up Jewish and not a Christian, I figured we could use it to help you pursue your goals living for Christ.

Acts was written by Luke who was a physician by trade and was Paul’s constant companion on his travels to spread the Gospel. Luke is therefore able to recount many of these acts based on his own witness and the other stories from personal interactions with the participants. In other words, he was a really great person to be able to record the history of the early church.

Acts 25 covers the portion of Paul’s journey to Rome when Festus took control of the land of the Jews. Festus hears the appeal by the chief priests and leaders in Jerusalem, but moves the proceedings to Caesarea so that Paul may give a defense. This is where Paul takes advantage of his Roman citizenship and appeals the case to Caesar. Festus rules “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you will go.” King Agippa visits, and Paul is going to be able to witness to a king, in court no less.

The first piece of information to learn from this chapter is that life is a journey, not a destination. Paul was on the way to Rome and these actions were just steps along his path. All of our life too is a journey and we need to see our path in this light filled with little steps towards a bigger purpose.

The book we will be following has 25 rules for work and life in the author’s pursuit of excellence and what he thinks it takes to succeed. In each post, I will address a different one of these rules, discuss how I think it applies to us, and how the Bible addresses the topic.

The first rule is:

“It’s as easy to do something big as it is to do something small, so reach for a fantasy worthy of your pursuit, with rewards commensurate to your effort.”

This rule has three huge topics and I’ll step through them at a high level that hopefully a 10-year-old can understand. If either of you don’t, please ask. Its what I’m here for.

Topic one: Fantasy. Our goals are not fantasy and this was a poor word choice in my opinion. Even the authors goals were not fantasy, but were well thought out and achievable. They were often big and often never been done before, but they were not fantasy. A goal like walking on the surface of the sun is fantasy, but being the first person to walk on Mars may be achievable in your lifetime. Goals like getting a black belt and making all A’s are big goals that you have achieved. Being a vet or going to the world’s best college for free are also big goals that you can achieve if you want.

Topic two: Rewards. In society, many rewards are equated with money, fame, and power. The author achieved his goals and received rewards of money, fame (to a degree), and power. But he also achieved in many smaller ways and many ways that brought other rewards like friendship, helping others, and helping mankind in general. I personally do not want fame, but each person has a path that Christ calls them to and if this is where He leads you, go for it. Power is an intangible asset that probably means little to either of you now, but may be an arena into which Christ calls you to help His people as history unfolds. Do not run from power as you may be God’s instrument at some point to wield it for His purpose. Money is of course integral with how we interact with society, but it is a tool that we can use for serving God. The more we have, the more is our tithe, and the more is our opportunity to fund things for the church. Don’t turn from earning money, but always act as a steward of what God provides.

Our real rewards for our efforts on earth will be crowns to lay before Jesus when we reach heaven. Our goal is to serve Christ and while our efforts may never seem to succeed in our understanding, we need to follow the lead of Christ and serve Him for His good.

Topic three: Big. The author learned early in life that to succeed at anything takes effort; sometimes the same or slightly more effort may bring huge success, if we eye a bigger target. Making an A in a K level class may be just as easy as making an A in an on level class, but brings more impact. Getting a degree at A&M may be just as easy as getting one at the university of Texas, but will be a lot better for you.

Paul was given a vision by Christ that he would be witnessing to Rome before he died, but also that he would suffer along the way. Paul put aside all his personal wants and desires to take up his cross and do the work of Christ on earth. Paul had the chance to witness to Festus, he had the chance to witness to Agippa, but his goal was to witness in Rome. He had a huge goal; it was beyond his personal abilities. But he was following the lead of Christ and knew that he could do all things because Christ was enabling him. So remember that Christ lives in you and will lead you to do things great and small all through the rest of your journey here on earth. Be sure you follow His lead and do the Great things that Christ promises us.

John 14:12 tells us: Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

Go do great things.