Mark 1:19
And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
One of the great separators between those who find great success and the average is those who find great success go a little further when the average only does what is expected. Both the successful and the average do right, but one goes a little further, which causes them to find great success.
Jesus was not the average religious leader of His day. He could have easily stopped after finding Andrew and Peter, but He went a little further and found James and John. Had Jesus done the average, He would have stopped at finding Andrew and Peter, but the average effort would have robbed us of James and John and the great works Christ did through them after He ascended to Heaven. Christ’s character to go a little further is what made Him so successful in all that He did.
The character to go a little further brings great success instead of average results. You can be an average believer and many will revere your consistency, but those who go a little further are those who see the miraculous done through their lives and ministry. If you only do what is expected, you will not be a bad person, but you will never find God doing great works through your life. Many people followed Jesus, but those who went a little further and followed Him were the ones who saw Jesus do the great miraculous works in His ministry.
I think of those we call the heroes of our faith, and their one great character trait is that they went a little further when others stopped. Peter went a little further than the eleven disciples, and he was able to walk on the water. David went a little further than those who hid in their tents, and he was used to defeat Goliath. Jonathan and his armourbearer went a little further than the rest of Israel, and God used those two men to win a battle against the whole Philistine army.
Do you want God to use you mightily in your life? If you want God to use you mightily, you must learn to go a little further when others stop. The successful soul winner is one who goes a little further when others stop, and that is when they find the one who wants to get saved. The successful bus worker is the one who goes a little further than the average bus worker, but that is also why they are able to fill their bus every week. The successful Sunday school teacher goes a little further with their class and shows their love for their pupils by consistently visiting them, and that is why their class is always growing. The successful pastor is the one who goes a little further than the rest of the pastors, and that is why his church grows while the other churches flounder.
My friend, it is not the gifted who do the most for God, but those who do the most and see God do the miraculous through them are those who go a little further when others stop. Going a little further when you are tired is when God can do the greatest works in your life. Going a little further in your prayer time is when God answers most prayers. Going a little further when you are reading the Scriptures is when you find that golden nuggets of truth that others never seem to find. The one thing that will separate you from the average is if you will go a little further with what you do for God when others stop. Going a little further is often a lonely walk, but it is when you find the sweetest fellowship with God which moves Him to do the greatest works through your life.