In a previous blog, Rewriting Your Good News Story Part 1, we established scripture is our Good News, and as followers of Christ, it’s time to write better headlines for our lives with the six parts of a good news story – the five Ws plus the H.
Here are the six questions you should ask about your day that will help you rewrite your good news story.
1. What is my one thing for today?
Every day during 2021, start out the day with this simple question. What is my one thing today that will bring glory to God, benefit to others and encouragement to myself?
2. Who am I doing it for?
The “who I do it for” question reveals your priorities. At the end of every day, if the only thing you’ve done is for yourself, then that’s a question of your priorities.
- Whatever that one thing is, is it something to make my life better?
- Will it encourage someone who needs to know Christ?
- Is it to solve a problem for someone I care for?
3. When will I do it?
The issues that get measured and the items that get scheduled are the things that get done. We all have good ideas, but when we don’t schedule it, it doesn’t get done. We call that a good intention, and that leads to procrastination.
A husband might say, “My one thing for my marriage… I’m going to encourage my spouse every day.” But if he doesn’t schedule it, it won’t happen. If you want to build good habits, they have to become mechanical at the beginning. So a better One Thing is to add the when by saying, “I refuse to go to bed at night before I have said something encouraging to my spouse.”
4. Where is my life headed today?
Where is this going to take me? The goal isn’t just the destination. A lot of us live for destinations and then we get to the destination, it doesn’t measure up. It’s the process of getting there, and every day should be leading us somewhere.
The Apostle Paul says, “I press toward the goal” (Philippians 3:14). He obviously had a goal and spent every day doing one thing that moved him in the right direction.
5. Why is this one thing so important?
The why is a central part of decision making. It’s vital to be able to answer that question. For example:
- Why do I want to encourage my spouse today?
- Why is that important?
- What difference is it going to make? It’s because I love my spouse; because I love my family; because I want to do the right thing to bring glory to God.
And the why question leads to how.
6. How?
- How is God glorified?
- How are others benefitted?
- And how is my life improved?
So, take time to sit down every day, look to the future in a prospective way and say, “Here is what my one thing is going to be for today.” So that at the end of the day, you can look to answer these six questions. The hope is at the end of the day, you brought glory to God, benefit to others and encouragement to yourself.
