Vision and direction and methods and plans are good, valuable, important things. But I often find myself getting so caught up in the plan and the system that I miss out on the main point.
And the main point is Jesus. Always and only Jesus.
The main point is Jesus. Seeking Him. Knowing Him. Loving Him.Serving Him. Proclaiming Him. Worshiping Him. Glorifying Him.
And the systems and methods and schedules we use can be glorifying to God, but they cannot be God.
Methods cannot lead people to repentance. Plans cannot humble and restore us. Systems cannot produce changed lives. Schedules cannot bring us into relationship with God. Organization cannot wash away sins. Vision cannot heal the brokenness this world produces.
“There is power in the gospel, not necessarily the method.” Pastor Daniel Williams
And it is easy to get so caught up in our plans and our systems and our organizational structures that we forget these things are powerless.
They are powerless to save. They are powerless to convict hearts. They are powerless to bring repentance. They are powerless to restore intimacy with God. They are powerless to produce worship in us.
We need God’s Spirit with us and the gospel flowing from our lips and through our lives in order to produce any true fruit for God’s glory.
So don’t ditch your systems or your vision. Maybe you even need to work harder at your plans and methods. But all of those things will be a waste unless God Spirit is behind them and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what is being taught through them.
I can measure my week two ways:How much did I check off my todo list? How much did I do to impact the kingdom of God?
Because very rarely do those two overlap.
The whole world and my own mind are screaming at me that the only valuable ways to spend my time are to work hard making money and then spend that money on improving my life. If I’m not actively producing something measurable, then was my time worth anything?
But God has a whole different way of measuring value.
How do you measure the value of spending time studying God’s Word and praying? How do you measure the value of sitting across a coffee shop table and pouring love and encouragement and time and friendship into another woman’s life? How do you measure the value of texting a friend encouragement or helping a friend who’s overwhelmed with life?
Because you can’t measure the impact of those things. And since they are impossible to measure, I often wonder if any of those things are making a difference.
Some weeks come to an end and the floors have gone another week without mopping and there were dirty dishes in the sink more often than not and the basil plant is just barely hanging on to life and every important email got sent at just the last possible second…and I feel like a failure.
But then I look at my week another way. I got to spend time with sweet friends, encouraging them over iced tea or coffee. And I had a few long phone conversations with family back home just listening to their hearts and learning how to pray for them. And I spent more time listening than talking and more time studying God’s Word than writing on my blog and more time doing my volunteer work for the church than house cleaning.
And there’s different kinds of value. And keeping my home is oh-so important, but sometimes there are more important, more valuable, things to do. And making money is important, but most of the time it’s more important to make just enough money and spend the rest of my time loving people. And ministering to others is important, but from my mommy friends I know that it’s more important to minister to your children first and best.
So when everything in and around me is screaming that I’m wasting my life… When everything in and around you is shouting that you’re not producing anything of value… Let’s choose to look at things from God’s perspective. Let’s keep choosing to say no to good things to say yes to best things.
And before this week even begins, let’s decide that we will fight to choose and to value the things God values over the things the world values.
Be blessed <3
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