CUTTING ISN’T JUST FOR INFLICTING PAIN - Stop doing something that is not bearing fruit. God says Prune it! “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if he could find any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘I’ve waited three years and there hasn’t been a single fig!’ he said. ‘Why bother with it any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’” If you add another chef to the kitchen to cook more or faster, what ends up happening is they bump into each other, or have to wait on using a utensil making it actually less productive. Bearing fruit and multiplying are at the heart of who God is. Jesus says we will be judged on the fruit we are bearing. The law of diminishing returns tells us that after a point in time the more you put into something the less you get back. Stop doing something that is not bearing fruit. Get rid of it. Cut it down or out so efficiencies can sprout. God says Prune it!

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Cutting isn’t just for Inflicting Pain

Stop doing something that is not bearing fruit. God says Prune it!

Fishtank Faith

Bearing fruit and multiplying are at the heart of who God is.

In fact, it is so important to Him, that it’s the first words out of his mouth (Genesis 1) and later Jesus says we will be judged on the fruit we are bearing (Luke 3).

Today I want to flip it around though and ask you to reflect on if there is fruit you are killing?

“A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if he could find any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally he told his gardener to cut it down. ‘I’ve waited three years and there hasn’t been a single fig!’ he said. ‘Why bother with it any longer? It’s taking up space we can use for something else.’” — Luke 13:6-8

Law of Diminishing Returns 

The law of diminishing returns tells us that after a point in time the more you put into something the less you get back. 

For example, you know how good that first piece of cake tastes … and the second piece is good but not that good as the first bite…. and the third & fourth slices– well yuck.

Or if you add another chef to the kitchen to cook more or faster, what ends up happening is they bump into each other, or have to wait on using a utensil making it actually less productive.

So, are there some things that you are doing that you are getting less out of it?

·         Do you talk too much when pitching a client? In the sports agent film Jerry Maguire, Jerry is rambling on about how much he loves Dorothy when Dorothy interrupts him to say her famous line “You had me at hello,“ which was the first word out of his mouth.

There is a point in your presentation where you have your audience – and if you continue talking beyond this point you actually start to lose them. Cut the excess words.

Stop doing something that is not bearing fruit

·         Are you allocating too much time to a project?

I am learning that I get the best return in the first couple of hours when writing and I need to learn to stop there as I find I start drifting and adding off-tangent points that worsen my article into hour 3.

We tend to fill the time we have so shorten your time slots on projects to force you to concentrate more intently and become more productive.

·         Are you maximizing your time at work? I am learning that an unproductive office killer of mine is checking emails & texts every 2 minutes on my iPhone. 

It distracts me and often takes me off topic. It’s a bad habit and it’s killing my fruit. I’m starting to put my phone on airplane mode for longer stretches of time especially in the morning.

Stop doing something that is not bearing fruit. Get rid of it. Cut it down or out so efficiencies can sprout. God says Prune it!

Question

What am I doing that is accomplishing nothing?

Fishtank Faith helps people live their faith at work by discovering God's truths, claiming His promises, and obeying His Word resulting in clarity & purpose. We look at how the Bible is current, active, and applicable to Ownership, Leadership, and Management in Coaching sessions.

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