212

Do you know what happens when water reaches a temperature of 211 degrees fahrenheit?  Nothing.  You have some very hot water that I guess is useful in some situations but really at 211 degrees nothing happens.

Do you know what happens at 212 degrees? Water boils. With boiling water comes steam and steam can power a locomotive.

Think about it:  One degree – just one extra degree makes all the difference in the world.

That’s true in a lot of life.

You especially see this in sports.

For instance professional golf tournaments are typically 4 rounds of 18 holes played over 4 days – a 72 hole total.  For over the last 25 years in the major golf championships (US and British Opens, the Masters and the PGA) the winner has won by an average of just under three strokes - less than one stroke of difference each day.

For the last ten years at NASCAR’s Daytona 500 the winner won by an average margin of 0.175 seconds.

Here’s the point: the difference between what we are striving to achieve and what we actually achieve is often very small.

There’s just one degree between having really hot water or the power to drive a locomotive.

I’m convinced that for a lot of us we are just one degree away from the life we’ve been searching to find – one step away from being a part of fulfilling God’s dreams.

But we hold back – we play it safe – we procrastinate – hesitate and we never take that one extra step.

What is the one extra step of effort (or faith) God is calling you to take this week?  Why not give it a try.  Who knows what might happen.