Dr. Meredith Griffin | The Flourishing Life™
Deeper Roots. Remarkable Results.
I don’t believe that I am different from any other person. We all desire to move forward. Personally and professionally we want to see positive progress being made in our lives. I can admit that I can spend a good bit of time contemplating whether or not I am progressing at the pace and in the direction that I desire. As I have opportunity to talk with other pastors, ministry leaders, and just people in general I find that I am not alone.
[Read more…] about The 3 Rs of Positive Progress
The second decade of the twenty-first century has officially begun. What a wonder it would be if, a decade from now, we looked back upon the next ten years as the “decade of service”. We, individual believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as well as the Church catholic, have an opportunity to show that the previous decades of me-ism and decadent opulence within Western Christianity were an anomaly. We have an opportunity to return the servant and service to others first dynamic that has been a hallmark of the Church for centuries.
Listen, I am not naive enough to believe that the history of the Church hasn’t before been marred by TBN style self-indulgence, or that similar forays into prosperity focused gospel ramblings will not occur in the future. What I am saying is that the overwhelming intrusion of such teachings into the mainstream of the Church in recent history is alarming, and the tide must be stemmed.
Is the gospel message inward-focused? No. Is the gospel me-focused? No. The gospel calls me to deny my desires in order to be used to fulfill God’s ultimate desire, the redemption of his creation. The gospel compels me to think of myself after I have considered the needs of those around me, to love (actively) whenever the opportunity avails itself. Our Lord Jesus was the penultimate example of a servant and leader in action. We are called Christians because of our desire to emulate his faith and actions, and fulfill his mission. If these statements are true, and I believe them to be, then we should move to make ourselves stellar examples of what it means to “serve and not be served.”
In less than two days we will all be saying farewell to 2009, and hello to 2010. For many people the end of year routine will be the same; they will set a course for the new year, things to accomplish in the coming twelve months. As a Christian and pastor, I must pose the following question: who’s vision will you pursue in the new year?
Watch night services across the country will be populated with people looking for a fresh start, and preachers in pulpits eager to tell them that one is on the way. New money, new jobs, new businesses, new relationships, new jobs, new academic degrees…will all be spoken of as God’s vision for you in the new year. Many churches will ensure that we jam our way out of the old year and into the new. Men and women will leave church feeling wonderful about what is in store, but will they have a clear understanding of the vision that they should pursue?
We weren’t saved from an eternity of separation from the God who loves and created us, so that we can become self-indulgent in ways that previous generations could only imagine. In other words…its not about us! God has a vision, and it is that vision that we ought to pursue daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. God’s vision entails those who belong to him being holy. His vision sees those who are called by his name desiring to serve others, rather than being served themselves. The vision that God has is for a people who shun sin and selfishness, in order to pursue righteousness and selflessness. In God’s vision, those who are called by his name remember that their bodies are not their own…they have been bought with a price. God’s vision holds reconciled relationships, selfless service to others, sharing his message of love with the world through word and deed.
I don’t doubt that those who belong to God are taken care of by him. I don’t doubt that God takes great care of everything and everyone that belongs to him. The Bible tells us that Solomon couldn’t adorn himself like the lillies that God took dressed in splendor. The Bible speaks of God’s great care for the well-being of birds, though they have no barns. God will care for those he loves. Since this is the case, our personal care is not the vision that we should pursue primarily in any given year. We should desire and envision being servants of the most high God. We should envision using everything that he has given us to glorify his name and advance his mission in the earth. Who’s vision will you pursue in the new year, your’s or God’s?