Fully Equipped

Fully equipped is preferred, right? To be fully equipped means:

Properly equipped with a complete set of whatever equipment is needed; Well-appointed; Well-resourced; Fully furnished.

When most of us think of something being fully equipped, we think about a car being loaded with all the options. And if we have one of those, we like to brag about it!

So what comes to mind for you when you think of something you want ‘decked out’ for yourself? Is it a Jeep Wrangler with the lift and all the extras? What about a Corvette or other muscle cars? Is it the latest and best set of golf clubs? Maybe it’s a house and its decor. Or like a friend of mine. Well, he had a family van with a pink steering wheel cover and a bumper sticker that said: “Honk if you love Neil Diamond.” Ha – it was actually his wife’s van that he drove on occasion (hi Chris – I won’t mention your last name).

All The Bells and Whistles

We people like sparkly stuff and things. It reminds me of the scene from The Secret of NIHM.” Watch this…

As you may be aware, my wife Carmen runs our vacation rental business. A few years ago we had a Strength Training Coach (I’ll call him Fred) and Rehab Coach (I’ll call him Ted) from the Phillies stay with us for the 7-weeks during their Spring Training Camp. That was the season where Bryce Harper was traded to the Phillies.

So Fred and Ted worked long hours – 4 or 5 am until 8 or 9 pm. I only remember them taking one day off during that seven weeks. Fred and I would talk when he came in if he wasn’t too tired. He shared with me about Bryce and the other ballplayers. Want to know what he said?

Professional Athletes Have Extraordinary Talent

Almost every baseball player in the majors has extraordinary talent. A level above all others. But then you have a few, like Bryce Harper, who is a level above them. What’s the difference?

Most Settle

Most, when they make the majors, have determined that they have arrived and are satisfied with doing and being the status quo at that level.

Fred, being in training camp basically 24/7 during the 7-weeks said that he watches the players come and go. Most come in for an hour here and there throughout the day and are gone. But then there is Bryce and a few others. They are there early, and throughout the day, putting their time in.

Fred shared that their team had every resource available TO EQUIP any and every player to be as good as Bryce. But very few take advantage of it.

Now they are no different than you and me. Just like us, most are satisfied with the status quo. Being “good ’nuff” if you will. We spend our resources on bling of various kinds…instead of equipping ourselves to be the best we can be.

Just Good ‘Nuff

Do you just want to be good ’nuff? Good ’nuff for:

• your loved ones?
• the job you do?
• those who depend on you?
• God and what He has called you to?

Be Fully Equipped

Check these verses out:

II Timothy 3:16 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

And then we read in the Amplified Version in verse 17:

so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

James 1:4 ESV

And let steadfastness (determination, unwavering) have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

These verses aren’t just there to make you feel good about yourself because you read a few verses from the Bible and now you are ready to move on. God’s Word is there to equip you for every (not just here and there, not just some, but every) good work.

Unwavering Determination

Be determined and unwavering in all that you do. Be the best you can be. Most don’t put time into being better, to be fully equipped. They come and go. Spend some time here, and spend some time there. But never enough to fully develop.

Be like Mike (Michael Jordan), Larry Bird, Bryce Harper, and others who have put the time and effort in to be the best of the best of who you are. So be fully equipped in who you are designed to be. Be the best you can be for the Kingdom of God in your everyday-walking-around-kind-of-life.

Challenge of the Week

If you catch yourself settling, remind yourself that you are a child of the living God. The Creator of the Universe. Do all you do, and do it for Him. Do it as if you are doing it for Him. Be fully equipped to be a doer of the Word, and do it with great success. So be it!