I'm having a ball playing in the pit orchestra for "Singin' in the Rain" with the Vermilion Players! I was reminded of this post (June 18, 2007) and think it's time to post it again.
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I've just finished a very busy season of musical theatre. I played trumpet in the pit band for "West Side Story" in our local community theatre. Because of this experience the concept of "audience" is fresh in my head. Every ounce of effort that went into this production was for the purpose of pleasing the audience.
In this passage, Paul calls our attention to the most important audience of all. To whom are we performing? Singer and songwriter Sara Groves put it wonderfully in her song "This Journey is My Own". Here are some selected lyrics:
When I stand before the Lord,
I’ll be standing alone.
This journey is my own.
Still I want man’s advice,
and I need man’s approval,
but this journey is my own.
So much of what I do is to make a good impression.
This journey is my own.
So much of what I say is to make myself look better.
This journey is my own.
I have never felt relief like I feel it right now.
This journey is my own.
‘Cause trying to please the world
it was breaking me down...
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one...
‘Cause I know this journey is my own
You can live for someone else
And it will only bring your pain
I can’t even judge myself
Only the Lord can say, “Well done.”
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Showing posts with label success. Show all posts
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Ministry and Numbers, by Lon Alderman
Mark 4:14-20
The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
The world teaches us to measure our success. Efforts that demonstrate an increase in numerical strength are deemed worthy/successful. Declining numbers are viewed as failure. Somehow this mentality has slithered into the church. Those churches that are growing are viewed as good ministries. All the rest are bad ministries.
When I read this passage from Mark I get the impression that the sower is not evaluated as good or bad based on the success of the seed. Yes, some of those seeds produce, but some also die. Regardless of the production, or lack there of, the sower is not seen as having succeeded or failed. His job appears to be sowing, not productivity.
I understand that there really are unhealthy churches, but to determine health based on numbers alone is misguided.
Oswald Chambers spells it out this way: I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God.
Let's count less and throw more seed.
Lon
The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
The world teaches us to measure our success. Efforts that demonstrate an increase in numerical strength are deemed worthy/successful. Declining numbers are viewed as failure. Somehow this mentality has slithered into the church. Those churches that are growing are viewed as good ministries. All the rest are bad ministries.
When I read this passage from Mark I get the impression that the sower is not evaluated as good or bad based on the success of the seed. Yes, some of those seeds produce, but some also die. Regardless of the production, or lack there of, the sower is not seen as having succeeded or failed. His job appears to be sowing, not productivity.
I understand that there really are unhealthy churches, but to determine health based on numbers alone is misguided.
Oswald Chambers spells it out this way: I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of God.
Let's count less and throw more seed.
Lon
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Success, by Rachel Smith
How do you know when you have become successful? By what measurement do you gauge your accomplishments?
We often get wrapped up in the expected cycle of our culture. Go to school to the highest grade, graduate. Go to another school to the highest grade, graduate. Get a job to the highest level, promote. Get another job to the highest level, promote. And on and on we go. So do you ever wonder when you're done? Is it retirement? Death? Are we busy doing life rather than living it?
And if so what do you miss out on by trying to get to the top level of every circumstance? or rather, who do you miss?
I'm not saying that success is a bad thing. But moving up the ladder blindly to the next ladder without checking out those around you can be dangerous.
In the book of 2 Peter 1:5-7 we are given a ladder to help us in progress in God's kingdom.
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Start climbing
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Troubled Heart
John 14:1
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
During the last few days my heart has been troubled. I'll try to explain how I believe this happened.
God richly blessed me in the days preceding my troubled heart. It doesn't take much for my focus on the Lord to turn to focus on myself. As my good friend Grant states it, "The easy way for the Devil to trip me up is to let me be successful!"
I got a little taste of success last week and I let it distract me. The trouble in my heart developed when I tried to follow up on "my success" under my own strength. I placed my trust in myself and began to fail at everything I attempted.
Jesus says that the antidote to a troubled heart is to trust Him. After all, it is the Lord that gifted me with the success in the first place!
Trust Jesus!
Lon
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
During the last few days my heart has been troubled. I'll try to explain how I believe this happened.
God richly blessed me in the days preceding my troubled heart. It doesn't take much for my focus on the Lord to turn to focus on myself. As my good friend Grant states it, "The easy way for the Devil to trip me up is to let me be successful!"
I got a little taste of success last week and I let it distract me. The trouble in my heart developed when I tried to follow up on "my success" under my own strength. I placed my trust in myself and began to fail at everything I attempted.
Jesus says that the antidote to a troubled heart is to trust Him. After all, it is the Lord that gifted me with the success in the first place!
Trust Jesus!
Lon
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Build Up: Faith and Success
Faith and Success
1Corinthians 10:31
...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Ask 10 people to define success and you will get 10 different responses. People say success is wealth, impact, reputation, comfort, luxury, the latest "toys", or leisure. In church work we tend to measure success by the numbers. You know, the bigger the church the bigger the success. Frankly, I'm starting to fall off of the numbers band wagon. I love this piece from Oswald Chambers:
It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, "What a wonderful man of prayer he is!" or, "What a great woman of devotion she is!" If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, "Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!" But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life "hidden with Christ in God" in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
Read the entire devotion by Oswald Chambers "Still Human"
Display the glory of God, be faithful.
Lon
1Corinthians 10:31
...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Ask 10 people to define success and you will get 10 different responses. People say success is wealth, impact, reputation, comfort, luxury, the latest "toys", or leisure. In church work we tend to measure success by the numbers. You know, the bigger the church the bigger the success. Frankly, I'm starting to fall off of the numbers band wagon. I love this piece from Oswald Chambers:
It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, "What a wonderful man of prayer he is!" or, "What a great woman of devotion she is!" If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, "Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!" But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life "hidden with Christ in God" in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
Read the entire devotion by Oswald Chambers "Still Human"
Display the glory of God, be faithful.
Lon
Monday, December 10, 2007
Daily Build Up: More on Success
For those of you who subscribe to this blog you may miss out on comments that other readers post on this site. My friend Pheaney (pronounced Fee-nee) sent these thoughts that I'd like to pass on to you:
Pheaney has left a new comment on your post "Acorn Build Up: Success": For some more thoughts on Biblical success, I would recommend "Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome" by Kent Hughes.
Thanks, Pheaney for chiming in! This is the second time in as many weeks that someone has suggested this book. It must be time for me to pick up a copy.
Blessings!
Lon
Pheaney has left a new comment on your post "Acorn Build Up: Success": For some more thoughts on Biblical success, I would recommend "Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome" by Kent Hughes.
Thanks, Pheaney for chiming in! This is the second time in as many weeks that someone has suggested this book. It must be time for me to pick up a copy.
Blessings!
Lon
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Acorn Build Up: Success
Success
Philippians 3:8-9
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
So what is success? This becomes an important question when we begin to realize the impact it has on the way we live life. We invest our life in the pursuit of success. The end (the way we define success) establishes the means (the way we live our life).
Paul chose to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ as the only success. He considered EVERYTHING else "rubbish". Paul lived his life in a solitary attempt to know Christ.
If our definition of success is financial stability, personal health, physical safety, professional renown, fame, or social popularity, then we will live our life accordingly. I'm not trying to suggest that we should quit our jobs and throw away social responsibility. However, the way that we choose to define a successful life has a tremendous impact on the way we live our life.
Choose well.
Lon
Philippians 3:8-9
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
So what is success? This becomes an important question when we begin to realize the impact it has on the way we live life. We invest our life in the pursuit of success. The end (the way we define success) establishes the means (the way we live our life).
Paul chose to consider a relationship with Jesus Christ as the only success. He considered EVERYTHING else "rubbish". Paul lived his life in a solitary attempt to know Christ.
If our definition of success is financial stability, personal health, physical safety, professional renown, fame, or social popularity, then we will live our life accordingly. I'm not trying to suggest that we should quit our jobs and throw away social responsibility. However, the way that we choose to define a successful life has a tremendous impact on the way we live our life.
Choose well.
Lon
Monday, June 18, 2007
Acorn Build Up: Audience
Audience
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I've just finished a very busy season of musical theatre. I played trumpet in the pit band for "West Side Story" in our local community theatre. Because of this experience the concept of "audience" is fresh in my head. Every ounce of effort that went into this production was for the purpose of pleasing the audience.
In this passage, Paul calls our attention to our chosen audience in life. To whom are we performing? Singer and songwriter Sara Groves put it wonderfully in her song "This Journey is My Own". Here are some selected lyrics:
When I stand before the Lord,
I’ll be standing alone.
This journey is my own.
Still I want man’s advice,
and I need man’s approval,
but this journey is my own.
So much of what I do is to make a good impression.
This journey is my own.
So much of what I say is to make myself look better.
This journey is my own.
I have never felt relief like I feel it right now.
This journey is my own.
‘Cause trying to please the world
it was breaking me down...
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one...
‘Cause I know this journey is my own
You can live for someone else
And it will only bring your pain
I can’t even judge myself
Only the Lord can say, “Well done.”
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I've just finished a very busy season of musical theatre. I played trumpet in the pit band for "West Side Story" in our local community theatre. Because of this experience the concept of "audience" is fresh in my head. Every ounce of effort that went into this production was for the purpose of pleasing the audience.
In this passage, Paul calls our attention to our chosen audience in life. To whom are we performing? Singer and songwriter Sara Groves put it wonderfully in her song "This Journey is My Own". Here are some selected lyrics:
When I stand before the Lord,
I’ll be standing alone.
This journey is my own.
Still I want man’s advice,
and I need man’s approval,
but this journey is my own.
So much of what I do is to make a good impression.
This journey is my own.
So much of what I say is to make myself look better.
This journey is my own.
I have never felt relief like I feel it right now.
This journey is my own.
‘Cause trying to please the world
it was breaking me down...
Now I live and I breathe for an audience of one...
‘Cause I know this journey is my own
You can live for someone else
And it will only bring your pain
I can’t even judge myself
Only the Lord can say, “Well done.”
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