One of the hardest things about living in this world as a
Christian is not letting your mind conform to the earthly/carnal/temporal
surroundings. The longer you are separated from Kingdom ways, which can be
found in the Word of God, the easier it is to begin to think and act like the
rest of the world who know so little of God’s ways. We become less and less
heavenly-minded and begin to lose our focus on the eternal life that awaits us.
I know that’s why Paul urges us in Romans 12:2 to “not be CONFORMED
to this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind.”
The Word of God will transform our carnal way of thinking
that we are naturally born with, and once we are born again by receiving Jesus
as our Lord and Savior, we must continue our transformation process because we
aren’t “home” yet. Although we are citizens of heaven, we still have a
temporary residence here on earth and because of that we are subject to its
environment. We HAVE TO renew our mind daily with God’s Word.
I’ve personally experienced instances where I have been
pulled into following society’s timeline or approval process, measuring the way
I lived my life with the world’s standards and regulations. One instance, in
particular, is measuring success or accomplishment by popularity and quantity
when using the finances, time, talent, or drive that the Lord has so graciously
given us to use on this earth. Often we use them to make sure we advance in
this life for ourselves, but God’s plan is to use them to bring Him glory and
reach people for His Kingdom. To the world, the more people hearing about the accomplishment,
the greater the success and the more difference your life just made by
contributing your gifts, time, or finances. The world is all about outward
appearance, how something looks on the outside.
But the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
If the world saw a story in the newspaper about a shepherd
that left 99 sheep to go after 1 that had gone astray, they would consider it absolutely
foolish! “You could have lost even more!
Think of all of that business you could potentially lose!” I hear.
Or what about King David (who was anointed the next King of
Israel and awaiting his throne) who faithfully served King Saul even when he
sought to kill him? “Honor his
authority?! That throne is rightfully yours! Tell King Saul to take a hike!”
Or how about a man from Nazareth who changed the entire
world forever with just twelve people who gave up their entire lives to follow
Him? “You have HOW many followers on
Twitter…TWELVE?! LOL I have 6 MILLION…I’m WAY more influential than you!”
Ok, the last example may be a stretch, but in today’s
culture, many people truly believe having 6 million followers on Twitter is the
epitome of success, “living the dream,” and truly “making it.”
Now, I’m not saying that the Lord can’t use someone to
advance the Kingdom who has 6 million followers of Twitter, but why do we think
that He chooses to use that person over the one who only has twelve Twitter
followers (in the context of influence, of course)? My point is that we must
break ourselves free from the mindset that your life only matters when people
hear about your accomplishments or contributions to society. The world says “MORE,
MORE, MORE = GREAT, GREAT, GREAT.” But God is looking at the motive behind our
drive to be successful. Let’s face it, we all want to do something great. But I
have to ask:
As Christians, is our success becoming about us, or are we
pointing others to Jesus?
Are we using our life’s
accomplishments to make a difference in the world even if it just for one
person and your name isn’t in the headlines, on Billboards, on T-shirts, commercials,
the credits of the latest TV show or movie?
Are we ok with being
an “unknown?”
John the Baptist began to lose disciples when Jesus came on
the scene, but John knew His purpose on this earth: to prepare the way for the
Lord’s coming; to point others straight to the King of Kings so that they can
enter the gate of Salvation.
“More of Him and less of me,” John declared in John 3:30. This
should be our mindset too as we prepare for the Lord’s second coming.
It is our nature to be self-centered, to long for
recognition, to be applauded for our efforts, etc. Of course, there is nothing
wrong with wanting credit for a job well-done, but we should always remember
that “we are not our own. We’ve been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Anything we do, we should always give the
credit and the glory to the One who gave us the ability to accomplish it and
want nothing more than for others to grow and mature into a strong, healthy
relationship with their Heavenly Father and Creator. He sees each life as
precious and doesn’t weigh one life more important than another.
So to the stay-at-home mom raising those little ones, you
are doing great things! You are successful!
To the CEO of that multi-million dollar company, you are
doing great things! You are successful!
And to that youth pastor with a group of ten kids who you
minister to week in and week out, you are doing great things! You are
successful!
Just REMEMBER, that success is to advance the Kingdom and
win others to Christ…one person at time!
Give God the glory He deserves, not only with your words but
with your heart…He created you to do great things!