What is the difference between success in God's eyes, and being driven to be a success in my eyes? What is real significance and calling? These are questions I mulled over this morning as I was reading a book by Mike Breaux called Identity Theft, great read, and I encourage you to check it out. Mike has a quote on page 112, that summed it up for me:
"I don't have to be THE best;
I Just want to be MY best-
to the glory of God."
That is good stuff! Great way to start my day.
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4 comments:
Shalom Brother and others--
It's good to be able to sit at the computer long enough to browse the website and then to mull over such a question as this;
What is the difference between success in God's eyes, and being driven to be a success in my eyes? What is real significance and calling?
Hmmm...Here goes, by the way I like this question...
I believe for the child of God to address this question, "What is the difference between success in God's eyes..." etc they must look to the last question asked; "What is real significance and calling?" If we understand (I am addressing believers) the reason for our very existence being to bring glory to God in all that we do...
1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
then we would look at your question and know that being driven to be a success in our own eyes will fail us every time, "our eyes" look on desires of the world, the flesh. PRAISE GOD that at conversion He gives us His eyes so that we may be able to see the world as He does thru His word. Remember, 2 Cor 5:17 if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old is gone and Behold! NEW CREATURE!...THAT'S US!...THAT'S ME!. We should no longer desire to be a success in our own eyes; in fact, we should know that if we are successful in and of ourselves...in our eyes...we have missed the significance and calling on our lives. I will go so far as to say that some do not identify themselves as a new creation, God's masterpiece and are subject to Identity Theft; TRUST ME...I"VE BEEN THERE.
Sooo, what is real significance and calling you ask? Well, it is different for each one, but the same mission, Christ’s. As one whose major gift is evangelism the real significance of my life is that I am sealed by the Holy Spirit, tested, approved, equipped to share the Gospel of my Lord Jesus in a supernatural and effective manner; therefore, He has sent me out into the world. IT'S MY GIFT...AND I KNOW II AND IT IS TO HIS GLORY!! SO I PUT TO USE!! That significance and calling will be until He calls me home and will continue thru eternity meaning, because of the significance and calling on my life by God, thru Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, many will be in Heaven because I was sent out among the lost. I will share the Gospel with my dying breath if I am able; in my newness, 2 Cor 5:17 I am compelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to evangelize, BUT, the significance and calling is to glorify God in all that I do and so, grasping this truth and wanting to do just that; glorify God, I began to pray, Lord I want to bring you glory, what must I do? His response; Then you must suffer and lay your suffering before me, this will bring me glory. Hold on Father! What’s this you say??? Couldn’t I just fry some chicken, bake a cake (go ahead and smile Pastor), teach a Bible study, you know Lord something nice and “churchy”? NO, SUFFER!! THAT WAS HIS FINAL ANSWER!! So I found myself with a choice; be disobedient and fry some useless chicken or share in the sufferings of Christ Jesus to the glory of God the Father. Well, I tell you I have suffered greatly for a year and 4 months now and all I can tell you is that I have grown by leaps and bounds in Christ thru TRIAL AFTER TRIAL AFTER TRIAL. I ask that He not remove 1 minute of my struggle, pain, dependence because I know that in this valley, I will not remain. I will NOT pitch a tent here, and I have learned to find great joy here and have watched the Lord move as I never could before; His power in me was brought out thru His desire for me to suffer and please understand this: You know what is really tough but brings me true joy in this valley? IT PLEASES GOD FOR ME TO SUFFER. I also have come to understand more deeply what the Lord endured for me and yes for you too. As resurrection Sunday approaches I will celebrate with such a greater joy because thru my suffering I have grasped the significance and calling on my life. I can't wait until Easter morning.
Brothers and sisters, There will come a time where you too must share in the suffering of the Lord, when you do I hope I am still around to help you thru it. If not, He said I will never leave you nor forsake you. Suffering is one of the many callings, the book of Hebrews; Chapter 11 mentions those who suffered greatly. I am broken before the Lord everyday, yet everyday my physical strength increases and my spiritual well-being exalts the Lord.. It's been really, really, really, really HARD but I wouldn't give it up for anything. Why? Because it is real significance and calling on my life, it is my new identity as a follower of Christ, part of our calling is to suffer; so I take up my cross daily and follow,(no run) after Jesus, God chose me, picked me as I would glorify Him in the suffering. Personally I think that is cool to know that the reason for the struggle is so that He would be glorified thru my response to the suffering as I will continue to praise Him before a dark world and bear witness and testimony of the Lord who SUFFERED for me.
YES Pastor, that is a great quote...I don't have to be the best; I just want to be MY best to the glory of God. That is good stuff; you said, "Great way to start my day" Tonight, it is a great way for me to finish my day and a wonderful opening for prayer before I lay down my cross for a few hours only to sleep. Trust me, my cross stays within my reach lest I should lose sight of it. I lay it near me whilst I rest so that it is within my reach to pick up come morning and follow; RUN after Jesus once more...
May the Lord Bless and Keep us from falling and may He be glorified in all that we do!
Libby
Amen, my sister. This was powerful, Libby, and man, what a lesson you have shared here......a lesson most of us, no....make that a lesson I would not care to admit I DON'T WANT TO have to learn in that specific way....bringing glory to God through suffering. My suffering. Doing "churchy" (loved that) things like baking cakes, sending some snacks with my son for youth group and pouring coffee on Sundays is nice and safe and comfy. No risk or pain necessary, thank you very much. But most often, taking up a heavy, cumbersome, splintery cross throughout my day is the only way that God gets all the glory He deserves.
Libby.......thank you.
Sister Pam--
Thanks for your encouraging THANKS and AMEN; May God be glorified by your response :) and I am sure He has been as you have made a powerful "broken-hearted" ( Matt 5:3) admittance before Him; "Lord, I DON'T WANNA!". The Lord loves a contrite heart and He can (and will) work with this.
Pam, I love what you wrote here...
"My suffering. Doing "churchy" (loved that) things like baking cakes, sending some snacks with my son for youth group and pouring coffee on Sundays is nice and safe and comfy. No risk or pain necessary, thank you very much. But most often, taking up a heavy, cumbersome, splintery cross throughout my day is the only way that God gets all the glory He deserves."
This is a very humble-hearted statement, it is honest. Allow me to comment on something you say here; no risk or pain necessary, and Pam you are sooo right. In essence there is no risk for you because when you take up that splintery cross each day and lay your suffering before Him ( this is key and a must; lay your suffering before Him as an offering to Him) and He is faithful to give you back more than you offered. For me, I now share in His sufferings, but as I said to Pastor Gay, if i dropped a piece of dust in a still pool, the ripple would be my suffering compared to His for me!!! But, I am growing and becoming much more understanding of the calling on my life, not risk but gain. I think for you (and others) it may be better understood to say, "No pain, no gain" instead of "no risk or pain necessary"
Pam, I would like to pray with you about this as I really feel this may be an area in your walk He may be leading you, especially reading your other comments and the prayer sheets.
Go always gives us someone to go thru stuff with, or who has been thru it to help us. 2 Cor 3-7. I would love to hear from you and again thanks for such encouraging words.
Libby
Libby,
Thank you. To have you pray with me would indeed be a privilege. Lately, I've been struggling a lot and I feel almost helpless as I watch God moving me out of many areas of ministry....."knocking the props out from under me" is a way Pastor Gay often refers to it....and into places where I am SO very, very uncomfortable. Wilderness places....sitting on the shelf places, in order to experience spritual "growing pains" perhaps. I know He's up to SOMETHING (isn't He always?), but I don't know what.
Peace to you,
Pam
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