Growing up in rural Western NY where the average income was less than $40k a year was a great place to start my life. In this beautiful country of backroads and family farms, a BMW 3-series turns head. Here, a 7-series won’t get a second glance. Going to college isn’t a given back there, and those that do often end up leaving to pursue opportunities elsewhere.
By contrast, Texas is a veritable sea of comparison! Looks seem to be everything and the parade of big homes and expensive cars never end. You can be an up and coming manager with a 6-figure salary, slightly used car, and decent home and still feel like a failure as soon as you step out the door. The bar is set so high that it can feel like a constant struggle just trying to keep up.
Given this backdrop of two worlds, I often find myself torn between being a simple country boy and an up and coming Fortune 500 executive. I am concerned about how I will ever reach the level of success I see all around me. While I am doing extremely well by almost any measure, I see the end of my 20’s fast approaching and wonder if I could have made “Millionaire by 30” status if I had done some things differently over the last 10 years. Many will point to my mild successes and encourage me by comparison, saying that very few are the true wunderkinds and all in all things are going well.
I am grateful for what I have, but I feel a constant self-imposed pressure to do more, achieve more, and find a way come hell or high water to achieve the grand destiny I have pictured in my mind….
…but what if the only way to get true success is to pursue “less”? [tweetthis]what if the only way to get true success is to pursue “less”?[/tweetthis]
Matthew 6:33 says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”. What are the things Jesus is talking about here? Backing up to verses 31 & 32 shows that He is talking about our needs. Now, what is referenced is the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. However, don’t you think that God has more than that in mind for us and that He will provide everything we need to accomplish that as well?
God designed us to be partners with Him on earth. John 14:12 says “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”. He left us here on earth with the work just beginning. He came down and patiently waited 30 years before starting a 3 year ministry. That time was enough for Him to accomplish everything needed to put the Church in motion. After His ascension, there were only 120 believers gathered in the Upper Room, waiting to receive the Power promised to expand the Church. It was this power that grew the Church by 3,000 in a single day, and continued to take it to literally every part of the known world.
Imagine if the disciples and the rest of those gathered that day had decided to pursue “more”? What if in their zeal they headed out to far away cities to spread the news of Jesus’ glorious resurrection, rather than waiting as He had commanded (Luke 24:49)? I have to admit that I’d have been tempted to do just that. I’d have dusted off my MBA, put together a team, and built a strategy for reaching the world with a 5-year plan. I’d have been so focused on the future, I’d have missed the present. I’d be so busy seeking the promise, that I’d have missed the Presence.
The work that God called us to is far greater than anything we could do on our own. On our own we may accomplish some good things, but we will not accomplish Good things. Satan loves to use this trick, lulling people in to a false sense of success by having them do just enough good that they miss the big picture. He allows them to go unharmed as they seek everything but the One who gives it all.
Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” We often ask God to give us wisdom, and it is right that we do (James 1:5), but how many who lack wisdom have gone back to its beginning; the fear of the LORD? What if we chose to pursue the fear of the Lord alone? How do we come to fear Him? Simply by knowing Him! Paul writes in Ephesians 3 that his heart’s desire is simply that the Church would come to understand the “breadth and height and length and depth” (v.18) of God’s love. It is remarkable that he didn’t pray that they would bring more to Christ, baptize more, or pray more. Paul knew that all of those things would follow if people would just begin to understand who God is.
Lately I have been trying to focus on simply knowing God more. Worshiping Him, hearing His voice, obeying His commands. These are simple things that anyone can do, but they are so much harder than the “great” things. In this, God gave me a picture recently that I believe applies to my own life.
Hiram was king of Tyre and a friend and ally of David prior to Solomon’s reign. In 1 Kings 5 we see that he congratulated Solomon on his kingship and Solomon replied by asking for timber to build the Temple. Hiram was able to gladly supply the cedars of Lebanon to allow Solomon to complete the Lord’s work.
What struck me about this story is that Hiram did not plant the cedars. These massive trees had likely lived hundreds of years before he entered the picture. God had taken care of the planting, watering, and growth of the forests, but Hiram was the one who was stewarding them and able to deliver them for this project at that time. In the same way, I realized that the work God has called me to is much greater than what could be accomplished with things that I could plant and grow in my own lifetime. He has been preparing and growing something for me to steward long before I came on the scene. My role now is simply to hear and obey, rather than seek to build and grow.
He has the same things for you. If you have felt overwhelmed by a desire to do good works, I encourage you in this: God has not called you to accomplish Good things alone. [tweetthis]God has not called you to accomplish Good things alone [/tweetthis] He has called you to seek the Kingdom. Knowing Him is the wellspring from which every Good thing flows. I implore you to stop seeking the promise and to start seeking the Presence. You don’t want the promise anyhow if you don’t have Him
As I’ve though about what is most important in life, I’ve realized that the only thing I really want is to know Christ and be known by Christ. If at the end of my life I put all of myself in to this one task and fail at everything else, I will have been a success. If I succeed in the world’s eyes, I will know it is because of Him, not me. I am not perfect in my pursuit, but I am pursuing. I encourage you to do the same. Take your eyes off of the good things around you, and seek His presence. He’s worth it.