Effort

"Continuous effort- not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking your potential."
-Winston Churchill
      Effort is the exertion of physical or mental power. Most people find it very hard to put effort into many things because it tires them out. People would much rather have other people do things for them or just not do anything at all. However, without effort, nothing will get done. I notice that people often place half-hearted effort into things that require much more effort to work. For example, in sports (yes, again) I see this a lot.  
      I love playing basketball, and as I often say, it frustrates me to see people not play it well. Watching people not play basketball well is like a great artist watching someone draw a terrible painting, or a great writer reading a book that has grammar errors. A while ago I wrote a post about doing the little things. If you thought about it at all, you should have realized that all it requires it effort. In basketball, playing good defense and getting rebounds are all about effort and commitment. If you don't put effort into these things, you will be a terrible defender and rebounder.
      There's a great saying that "defense wins championships". What this is saying is that the team that puts more effort into the game is going to win. Even the greatest athletes can play poorly if they don't put effort into the game. Effort is what shows how well you can play. The greatest athletes are not only recognized for their athleticism but also for their effort and commitment to their sport. A common thing in great athletes is that they play hard every game and practice constantly.
      How does this apply to our everyday life? Many things, if not everything, requires effort. School requires effort in order to do well, sports requires effort, work, chores, going on a diet, etc. The more effort you put into these things the better you will do. Again, you will never know your potential unless you put maximum effort into things in your life.
      Lastly, you need to put effort into living a life for Christ. You might say that the Bible (and I) claims that you are saved by faith alone, so you shouldn't have to do anything to be saved. To address this, I want to quote a great leader in Christianity, Martin Luther. He said that "we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone." The book of James tells us that faith must be combined with works. The works don't save you, but are still necessary to living a life for Christ. These works take effort; loving others, praying, reading the Bible, going church, and preaching the gospel. If you put your effort into these things I know God will bless your life.
-Smart