⏱️ God is not opposed to effort
💡 2 THOUGHTS FROM ME
I. The Bible is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. As we are told in Ephesians 2, “and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”
However, this does not mean that following Jesus requires no effort.
We cannot earn God's forgiveness, but it does take effort to obey His commands and pursue holiness. Not to earn something from God that has already been freely given, but to demonstrate that we love and trust Him.
If we think following Jesus merely means mentally agreeing that He is God while continuing to live according to our own preferences and desires, we are, in practice, placing ourselves as at least God's equal.
Jesus says in Matthew 16, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
That’s going to take some effort.
But here’s the good news: the Bible is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.
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II. Clarity is not about having your life all planned out; it’s about knowing what you're going to do this week.
You don’t need to have everything figured out, you just need to know your next step.
Have a dream or goal that will take a while to bring to reality? Great.
You don't need to know how to accomplish all of it right now.
You just need the clarity to know what you're going to do about it tomorrow.
💬 2 HELPFUL QUOTES
I. John Rohn on success and failure:
"Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day. Failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. Small things matter."
II. Author Emily P. Freeman on how to get clarity:
"The biggest mistake you can make is thinking you have to have it all figured out before you act. You don't. Start messy. Start uncertain. What matters is not how perfect your beginning is, but whether you have the courage to begin at all. Most people wait for clarity; the truth is, clarity comes after movement, not before it."
📖 1 BRIEF BOOK REVIEW
This book explores AI, its development, and its future from a Christian perspective (which I appreciated), written by someone highly knowledgeable in the field.
While there were interesting insights and things I learned, it was a tough read. It felt more like a research paper or report, with many quotes and references to other sources. At 300 pages, the lack of stories or illustrations made it a challenge to get through.
I also didn’t love the font and layout, which didn’t help. I also found the title misleading. As a play on Orwell’s 1984, I expected a different writing style or structure. While the book occasionally referenced what life could be like in 2084, the title gave the impression that it would focus more on that aspect.
If you’re already deep into AI, you may find some parts interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point. And for most readers, I think it’ll be difficult to finish.
It's not a bad book, but was not particularly enjoyable for me.
5/10
P.S. They’ll never let it go.
