Crazy Ones

Change often starts in the fringes with an oddball group that doesn’t quite fit with everybody else. It starts with a passion and an idealism that believes things can be better than they currently are.

The Reformation began with a theological misfit  on the fringes who believed that the Church had drifted away from the Gospel.  Martin Luther began a movement with passion and idealism that believed the Church could actually be reformed.  He was crazy enough to believe that the Gospel was not about works but about grace.  And he was crazy enough to believe that it wasn’t just the priests that did sacred work, but all believers.

We are in a day that needs these kind of crazy reformers.  We need a group of crazy ones who are crazy enough to believe that the Gospel still does its work.  We need a group of crazy ones who are crazy enough to believe that God calls everyone of us to bring the Gospel into our communities the context of our ordinary, everyday lives.

We need a movement of reformers who believe that things can be better than the way they currently are.  The crazy ones who actually believe that because of the Gospel, we are freed to love our neighbor with no strings attached.  A group that embraces vocation; an understanding that God is hidden in us doing his work in the world as we serve our neighbors in our homes, our communities, and our churches.

If we want things to be the way they currently are, we should keep doing exactly what we are currently doing.  But if we want things in our world and in the Church to be different, something must change.

Steve Jobs once said,

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

What would happen if a group of misfits, rebels and round pegs aligned around a desire to bring us back to the pure Gospel?  What would happen if a group of reformers got together and pushed forward into this new day and culture with the message that has been handed down to us from the scriptures?

The Modern Reformation

The Crazy Ones go backwards.

The crazy ones in today’s world will be the ones that go back.

They will be the ones that go back to an ancient truth and believe that this ancient text is a message of hope for all the world.  In a world that is quick to throw out the Word, we need a recovery and love for the Word. In Churches that are quick to throw out grace for a list of dos and don'ts, we need a recovery of the Gospel that says “done.”  And in our Churches, that have ignored the doctrine of vocation, we need a recovery of the understanding that God calls all of us to our homes, neighborhoods, churches, and workplaces to serve our neighbor and share the Gospel.

The crazy ones won’t be the ones that are saying something new, but they will be the ones that are saying ancient truths in new ways.

The Crazy Ones go forward.

Not only do the reformers go back, but they go forward.

In order for the first Reformation to take place, it was largely shaped by the technology of the day.  It was shaped by the printing press.  Today, the changes (both good and bad) that take place in the Church are shaped by the new printing press - it is shaped by blogs and podcasts and social media.

The Reformation brought the ancient truth of God to the people of the cities in a language they could understand.  In our day as we recover what has often been lost in broader Christianity and in our culture, we will need to bring the message of the Gospel in the language of the people.

We will need to translate God’s word into the language of people we want to reach.  The way we sound and how it looks when we talk might change, but the message stays the same.  When Luther introduced the Reformation, people fought against it.  They feared his radical ideas like giving the Word to ordinary people or introducing music into the Mass.

But whatever Luther did, he did because he was crazy enough to believe that it actually served the message of the Gospel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwsuXHA7RA

The Gospel is the message of the Reformation.  And it will be the message of the new Reformation.  Perhaps it’s crazy to believe that this ancient message is the message that our world needs today?  Maybe it’s crazy to think that the message that God can use ordinary people like us to be the mouthpiece of God in this world.

And maybe it’s crazy to think that a story about a guy who was given the death penalty for his scandalous message of grace is the hope the world needs.  Paul himself said it’s a little bit crazy in 1 Corinthians 1:18 when he wrote, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

So for my fellow crazy ones, in the words of Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry.  Stay foolish.”

Church of Cain vs. Church of Abel

Two men.  Two different jobs.  Two different offerings.  The story of Cain and Abel is the story of the first dysfunctional family; two brothers come before God making offerings and find God responding in two very different ways.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”  And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.  In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”  Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” - Genesis 4:1-9

At first glance, we can read this and think that perhaps something’s going on with the offerings.  After all, Cain and Abel did not bring the same offerings.  Did Cain bring the wrong type of offering and Abel did it right?  Was this a story about fruit versus livestock?

While it might appear that this might be the case, this is not a story about fruit or livestock, this is a story about worship. It is a story about two worshippers who worship two very different gods.

Church of Cain vs. Church of Abel

In many ways, Cain and Abel look a lot alike.  Martin Luther actually referred to them both as a picture of two churches.

There are two churches that are worshipping and making offerings.  On the surface, the Church of Cain and the Church of Abel look very similar.  They both make offerings, they both have sacrifices, they both require faith, and they both are worshipping.  But when the Church of Cain does the same things that the Church of Abel does, they don’t mean the same things.

Cain can do the same things and say the same words but it is clear that he means something different.

Cain worships, but his worship is not the same as Abel’s.  Can has faith, it’s just in his own offering and not in God.  Cain approaches God as though he actually has something to offer.  This is why he gets upset when God doesn’t look favorably at him; he thought he had something to offer.

Abel on the other hand worships God with nothing to give.  Abel doesn’t think that God owes him anything.  Abel’s faith is not in what he has to offer, but in what God has to offer.  Abel trusts in the radical message of grace; he trust that God’s favor is completely unmerited.

And this pisses off Cain.

Because Cain thinks he deserves God’s favor and he doesn’t get it.  And Cain thinks Abel doesn’t deserve it and Abel gets it.  The Church of Cain is not okay with the good news being shown to the Church of Abel.

The theologian Michael Horton said it this way when he said, “The doctrine of grace and the theology of the cross will always result in the wounded getting healed and the self-righteous getting angry.”

This is what happens in the story of Cain and Abel and this is what happens in the life of Jesus.  Jesus comes preaching this message of grace.  And this message is so radical and scandalous that Jesus even starts preaching it to sinful people like tax collectors and prostitutes.

And the religious people get ticked.

Because that’s what the self-righteous people do.  They get angry when the see God’s grace extend to certain groups of people.  When you and I believe that it is up to us to earn God’s favor, we will get angered by the scandalous lengths that God will go to in order to love everyone.

Seminary: Year Two Begins

I have officially completed my first year of seminary.  Last fall, I officially jumped head first into this new journey of having my nights filled with writing papers, listening to lectures, and reading books by dead guys.  And now, after one year of hard work, I’m still at it.

Here are some random thoughts after one year of work.

• I’m glad that I like to read books by dead guys.  Because it helps with the reading assignments.
• Reading isn’t nearly as fun when it is mandatory.
• School is school.  Even when it’s learning about stuff you like.  There are classes that I enjoy.  And classes that I dread.
• I have learned a ton. It’s been a lot of work.
• Since I’m a Vicar (like a Pastor-intern), I get to preach regularly.  And that is by far my favorite thing I get to do.  I love preaching and want to keep doing it as much as my church lets me.
• My best class and also my hardest class was called the Master Narrative and was taught by Dr. Charles Arand.  That man was is a genius.
• I’ve been on campus this week and I’m amazed at the knowledge and insight of the theologians we have in the LCMS.  These professors are some great thinkers and have me greatly encouraged as I think about the mission and ministry of our congregations.
• I’m only a little over a year away from ordination.  That’s awesome.
• I’m incredibly blessed to be at church that supports me in this journey.  And even more, to have a wife that puts up with me staying up all night to do homework.

One year down.  Three to go.

Preaching Copycats

If you listen to the radio for a while, you’ll probably notice that every song kind of sounds the same.  Or if you watch movies, you’ll often start to notice how frequently movies are just re-makes of something else.  And even the original movies still all use the same basic story structures, such as the Hero’s Journey.  The same thing happens with technology.  Microsoft makes something.  Google makes their version.  And Apple comes along and makes there version a little bit better than the others.

[tentblogger-youtube oOlDewpCfZQ] Everybody is copying.

Solomon said it himself when he wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Whether we are talking about music, books, a sermon series, or blog posts, there really aren’t any completely original ideas.  All of our ideas come from someone else who got their idea from someone else who got their idea from someone else.

We all desire innovation, but we often forget that the innovators are also copycats.

Copying is usually frowned upon, but I think that as artist-theologians many of us would benefit from learning to copy well.  When we learn to copy appropriately, we learn from the positives of the artists around us and make that our own.  We don’t become carbon-copies of the people we copy but we become hybrids of all the people we imitate and when combined with our own personality and style, it becomes something completely new.

Listen.

Find other artists, preachers, storytellers, and writers.  Read their writing.  Study how they say what they say.  When you find one that you love, listen to everything and find out what they read and listen to.

Imitate.

It’s okay to copy bits and pieces of the people you love.  Copy what you love while still being yourself. Years ago, I was overly concerned with sounding like the preachers I liked, but it was recommended to me that I shouldn’t worry about it.

Why?

Because that preacher I loved, he sounds like the preachers he listened to.  And his preachers sound like their preachers.  And so they were all shaped by the ones who went before them and help form the preacher himself.

Make it your own.

The goal in copying isn’t to be identical to any one artist, but to learn the skills and apply those to yourself.

Austin Kleon suggests, "“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy you will find your self.”   Copy the preachers, writers, and artists you love.  And in the end you may be influenced by those artists, but you will still be you.

You copy some.  You discard others.  And you learn your own voice.

Everything Is Awesome

Tacos are awesome.  A great deal on a new pair of shoes is awesome.  Blog posts are awesome.  Saving money on your car insurance, awesome.  I recently watched a TED talk by Jill Shargaa suggesting that we “put the ‘awe’ back in ‘awesome.’

[tentblogger-youtube uSD6RlqHwOk]

Jill said, “When you use the word awesome to describe the most mundane of things, you are taking away the very power of the word.”

We far too easily miss the meaning of words like awe and awesome.  Awesome is defined as “extremely impressive or daunting, inspiring great admiration, or awe-inspiring.”  Do our tacos really inspire awe?  Does that discount really inspire great admiration?

The word awe is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”

Jill Shargaa is on to something.  We use the word awesome so flippantly that we don’t even realize what we are saying.  But I actually think that while we don’t realize what we are saying when we throw around the word awesome, we are actually speaking to a great theological truth.

In the words of Emmet, the prophetic, ordinary Lego, “Everything is awesome!”

The ordinary things of this world might be too often described as awesome.  But at the same time, there is something awe-inspiring about the complexity of the simple things in this world.  Take for example that sandwich that you got from Jimmy John’s.

Is it really awesome?

The sandwich alone probably not.  But what about all that went into it.  Someone grew all the ingredients, somebody baked the bread.  Some business person years ago started a franchise that would grow into what Jimmy John’s is today.  We could go on… the sandwich alone might not be awe-inspiring.  But the way God worked in order to make that sandwich a reality in your life might in fact be awesome.

The Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "The insights of wonder must be constantly kept alive.  Since there is a need for daily wonder, there is a need for daily worship.”

Everything is awesome.

And as we are inspired by the awe and wonder of the world around us, we are driven to worship the one who created it.  From the the oddities like tacos and discounts on clothes to the truly magnificent things like a sunset or the Grand Canyon or seeing your kid take their first steps, they point us to the one who gives us every good gift.

It could be easy to get frustrated at how commonly we use the word awesome.  And maybe it’s even over-used.  But maybe, the people who use it all the time are onto something.  And the rest of us just haven’t been looking close enough.   Maybe they see something that we haven’t.

Photo Credit: Sunfox

Work Was Not Intended As a Curse

Do you ever have one of those days?  Those days were work just seems to drag on.  The day where the TPS reports are killing you and your sick of being told you have a “case of the mondays.”  I’m not sure there is such a thing as a job where you don’t have those days.

Because work is hard.

Work is hard because we often have bosses that are difficult to deal with.  Or co-workers we can’t stand.  Maybe we have a deadline that is fast-approaching.  Or maybe even clients that have unrealistic expectations.

Work is tiring and exhausting.  And not only that but for many of us, work follows us home.  And this happens with all work - even the most appealing, perfect, dream-jobs.

But there’s an important reminder for all of us in the midst of these days.  Work was never intended to be a curse.  Work was actually intended to be a gift for man.  A calling for man to fulfill in paradise.

“The book of Genesis  leaves us with a striking truth-work was part of paradise.” - Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor

But then sin enters the picture.  Sin is the reason that both our perfect jobs and our less-than-perfect ones are hard work.  Sin is the reason why our work follows us home.  Sin is the reason why we have to work jobs just to make ends meet.  Sin turns a calling into an obligation.

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” - Genesis 3:17-19

Work is a good thing.  It is a gift from God.  It is a part of the way that God has wired humanity to work.  He has created us and called us to work in the various spheres of our life.  But with sin, our callings also become laborious.  Our gift also brings pain.

In Jesus, we have hope that this is not the way things should be or the way that things will always be. And we have hope that our work doesn’t define us.  And while we face the pain of hard work, we can with faith look to the pain of the cross and be reminded of what sin does.  It brings about a curse that affects every area of our life - our relationships, our homes, and our workplaces.  And it’s a curse that can only be solved by a cross.

WikiConference Session 7 - Jon Acuff

[This post is a part of the WikiConference 2014 series of posts]

Jon Acuff is the New York Times Bestselling author of four books including his most recent, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average & Do Work that Matters. In addition, he’s become a social media expert with blogs that have been read by 4 million people and more than 215k twitter followers.

We live in a changing world.  The world our kids are growing up in is far different than the world that we grew up in.  Technology and the rate of change is speeding up at an alarming rate.  Imagine having to grow up with social media around?

Change can be either overwhelming or an opportunity.

For leaders change is an opportunity to grow.  But if we want to be a part of the change that is happening around us, we have to have grit.

Bravery + Empathy + Hustle = Grit

Bravery

Bravery is being stubborn in the face of fear.  Often for us we enjoy watching other people have bravery, but avoid it for ourselves.  Being afraid isn’t failure, staying afraid is.

For leaders this is difficult because we have big fears.  The bigger the story, the bigger the dragon.  The bigger the purpose, the bigger the fear. And these fears often come from an unhealthy need to compare yourself to others.

"God is not surprised or disappointed by the size of your ministry."

Because of social media, it has become so easy to compare yourself.  Don’t focus so much on what god is doing in other people’s church that you fail to focus on what he is doing in your own.

Be brave.  Be brave enough to be bad at starting something new and be brave enough to ask hard questions.

Empathy

Empathy is understanding what someone needs and acting on it.  There are two parts to this equation: understanding and actually doing something.  Both are important.  You can’t have empathy if you don’t actually understand others.  And you don’t have empathy if your understanding doesn’t lead to action.

If you want to be empathetic, the way you do so is simple.

1. Read less minds.
2. Ask more questions.
3. Be human.

Choosing empathy is cheap; losing empathy is expensive.

Hustle

Hustle is doing the important things others don’t to enjoy the results that others won’t.  In Colossians 3:23 Paul writes, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”  If you want to do things that no one else is doing, you are going to have to work hard when others aren’t.

But also realize in the midst of the hustle, there are seasons.

There are times when we are tempted to let our families get the rest of me and not the best of me.  Don’t sacrifice your family for your ministry.  Don’t let your church steal your family’s Christmas.

Hustle makes you step into the tension of yes and no.  Hustle harder and do the important things no matter how big or small because there’s no such thing as a small yes when you are talking about a big God.

WikiConference Session 6 - Polly Wright

[This post is a part of the WikiConference 2014 series of posts]

Polly lives in Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas with her husband, twin teenage daughters and her corgi, Cowboy. She is the founder of We Are Cherished, a ministry that reaches out to women in the sex industry. Polly is passionate for women to know their true worth and value, discovering who they were created to be.

What are the first 3 words that pop into your head when you think of women and men that have been impacted by the sex industry?

The sex industry impacts people in our congregations. It impacts both men and women in our churches, including those who are in the sex industry and those who are consumers of it.   As Christians we are called to create, to walk alongside, to disciple, and to love well.

Loving well hurts.

Polly’s desire in telling her story was to passionately call us as church leaders to love others extravagantly.  There are people in our congregations who are dying inside.  They are fearful to be honest about their struggles and their stories because of what people might think.

60 percent of men in our churches struggle with pornography, including pastors.  It’s a hardcore addiction.

Polly shared her story out of the sex industry, which she also shares on her blog:

I graduated from high school and headed to college. For the first semester I was the art major who led my dorm in parent’s day activities. On the inside and in my “other life” I was a stripper. It gave me a sense that I was invincible. The men drooled over me! They wanted me and I could say “yes” or “no”. I had told myself I would be the one in control of the situation, and I definitely thought I was in control of the men. Dancing gave me a feeling of self worth in such a deceptive and destructive way I had no idea I was spiraling into a pit of hell. For two years I lived this life. Sleeping with countless men, failing out of college, and completely losing who I was and what I’d become, I hit the bottom and tried to commit suicide. I quit dancing, left college and moved out of state where I quickly learned that your problems follow you wherever you go.

By this time in my early twenties, I just wanted to be loved for who I was, not for who I was running from.

I was told about Jesus during those tumultuous years but did not listen. I hated God. What kind of God would allow these horrible things to happen to a child? So I shunned Him. After all of this Jesus Christ still wooed me. He pursued me. He loved me madly, even though the world looked at me and turned away ashamed. He was never ashamed of me. He knew me before I took my first breath. He knew the path I was going to take but still wanted me: shamed, sinful, lustful, and prideful me.

What is God’s calling for you when it comes to loving others affected by this issue?  Christ’s love is not cautious, it’s extravagant.  It’s not your job to save them, but it is your job to love them.

WikiConference Session 5 - Ian Cron

[This post is a part of the WikiConference 2014 series of posts]

Ian Morgan Cron is an author, speaker, Episcopal priest, psychotherapist, and retreat guide. He began our session with chanting and silence.  Shalom means completeness, wholeness, or ultimate well-bing.  We began the session chanting “shalom” and “amen.”

Over and over again, in story upon story, what Carl made evident is the importance of everything being about Jesus.

He started a “Jesus-study” with his non-Christian neighbors but not a bible study… eventually the non-believers suggested that they read the Bible to learn about Jesus.What if Jesus actually meant it when he said, “The field is ripe for harvest”?

Jesus has a lot of power and sometimes we forget that.  We begin to think that the power resides in something else.  We think that if we change our approaches we solve our problems.  Instead we should trust in the power of Jesus.

The .000001% of Jesus that I know has completely changed my life. @carlmedearis #wiki14

— Seth Hinz (@sethhinz) September 24, 2014

The slightest hair off focus is not quite right.  When we are focused on Jesus, it actually raises the importance of other things like preaching, theology, and mission.

What if Jesus was the agenda we brought to the table?  How would Jesus reshape our conversations?

WikiConference Session 2 - Ed Stetzer

[This post is a part of the WikiConference 2014 series of posts]

The reality is we live in a mission field.  The challenge is that while we live in the mission field, we also live in an unengaged mission force.  In this session, Ed Stetzer explored what we should be thinking about when it comes to engaging God’s people in mission.

We began in 1 Peter 4:10-11 (HCSB) which read:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Mission is what God is doing in the world to advance his agenda.  We a joining Jesus on his mission.  It’s not our mission, it’s his.  Jesus called us to join him.  If mission is defined as what God is doing in the world, missionaries are a subset of that.  Missional churches, which is a buzz-word, are churches that desire for their churches to join God in his mission in the world.

Ed referenced a study of 7,000 protestant churches that suggested that the majority of people in the majority of churches are unengaged in meaningful ministry and mission.  A lot of people show up for the show but have no desire to serve.  And this doesn’t vary with denominational tradition.

When we compare what we read in 1 Peter 4, the state of our churches in practice compared to the scripture is startling.

1. We all have gifts. (vs. 10a)

Our churches too often become distributors of religious goods and services and not outposts for missions.  Out motive in churches is not to simply keep people happy, but to share the message of the Gospel with people.

Ed also went on a little rant by poking fun at Crosspoint’s architecture.  He suggested, “When you build churches like theaters, don’t be surprised that people act like show-goers.”  He also suggested that people, “pray, pay, and stay out of the way” so that the professionals can do their work.

It isn’t a select few that have gifts, we all have the gifts.

2. God intends all to use. (vs. 10b)

What does it mean to be a steward or manager of the grace of God?

God has gifted the parts of the Church and put them together.  While not everyone is considered a good manager, everyone is a manager.  When people don’t see themselves as stewards, we have churches full of religious people demanding customer service.

Don’t build churches of customers but of co-laborers.

“When pastors do for people what God has called the people to do, everybody gets hurt and the mission of God is hindered.”

3. For which he empowers us. (vs. 11a)

All of God’s people are sent on mission; all of God’s people are called to ministry.  The only question is “Where?”

Our churches are filled with people who are already managers of the gifts that God has given them.  Sometimes we minister in the church, sometimes through the church, and other times beyond the church.

4. To bring God glory. (vs. 11b)

We glorify God through service.   Our churches need to be multiplying the number of people serving. Ed referenced that in their studies, the comeback churches (meaning those formerly dying) are those whose people get “on mission.”  When this shift happens, the churches are transformed.

Do you want to have a united church?

Have them serving.  The people rowing the boat will care a lot more about avoiding rocking the boat when they are rowing.  Mature churches are not simply studying churches, they are both studying and serving.

WikiConference 2014 Notes

This week I’m hanging out with some awesome people at the FiveTwo WikiConference in Katy, Texas.   Last year was my first year at the conference and this year I am back and cannot wait for all that Wiki will bring.  One of my favorite things about the conference was hanging out with a bunch of like-minded people who wanted to talk and think about reaching our communities with the message of Jesus.

To help you get an idea of what the conference is, here’s a snippet from the website’s description:

WikiConference is the annual gathering for the FiveTwo Network. You’ve probably heard the term “wiki” before… wikipedia, wiki leaks, etc. A “wiki” is a website that allows collaborated editing of it’s content and structure by it’s users. In our case, it’s a conference that is coordinated and presented through collaboration between organizations and ministry experts in various ministry fields. These people are on the front lines and in the trenches. They are passionate about reaching God’s lost in their communities and they are practicing what they are preaching. WikiConference is for any church leader–staff or volunteer–who wants personal, practical ways to better reach the lost in their community.

During the conference I will be taking notes and sharing them on my blog.  If you want to follow along, this post will serve as the table of contents as they get written.

Table of Contents

Session 1 - Bill Woolsey (I actually have to miss the opening session)

Session 2 - Ed Stetzer

Session 3 - Carl Medearis

Session 4 - Joanne Solis-Walker

Session 5 - Ian Cron

Session 6 - Polly Wright

Session 7 - Jon Acuff

Death by Checklist

Every week, I start out my work by creating a checklist.  I live and die by the checklist; without it I am pretty sure I wouldn't get anything done.  A lot of us also operate our lives around our checklists.  And not only do we use these lists to guide our decision-making, but many of us rely on our checklists to be our source of worth and validation.

Now most of us probably would never say, “I’m trying to secure my own salvation by checking things off a list.”  But the reality is that everyday when we try to find our worth and our value outside of Jesus, we are doing exactly that.  We are relying on something other than Christ to give us our identity.

In my own life, and probably in many of your lives, I often attach my worth and my identity to work.  I look at my job and can immediately start determining my worth based off of how well I check items off the list.  Am I successful in my job?  Did I get a raise?  Does my boss like me?  Do I like my job?  Is my new business growing?  Am I making enough money?

And if all of these things on my list are going right, it validates me.  It says that I’ve done something right.  And if these things on my list aren’t going right, then I must’ve done something wrong.  If I lost my job or didn’t get the promotion, it immediately makes me question, “What kind of man am I?”  Because if I don’t have the job or I don’t like the job or I don’t do well at the job, this says something about my worth and who I am.

The same thing happens in our homes.

As we take care of our homes as husbands and wives, we have a checklist of things that we need to do and we begin to evaluate ourselves by it.  Is the repair taken care of?  Is the house clean?  Is the laundry done?  Is the lawn cut?  Is dinner on the table?

And so if I do these things, if I can check all the things off the list, it validates me as a person.  And if I can’t do them, it invalidates me.  It says, I’m not living up to what I should be doing.

And this multiplies if you have kids.  Because what parents often do is they not only evaluate themselves based on their performance, but also on their kids’ performance.  So if your kids do well, that says one thing about you, but if they don’t do well in school, that says another thing about you.  If your kids keep hitting their friends, then that says something about how you are doing as a parent.

And so we evaluate ourselves based on how well we perform on the self-created checklists of home life.

And when we do this, we either falsely inflate the way we see ourselves by thinking we’ve done all these things, or we deflate our value because we created a list that we can never live up to.

The same thing happens in our spiritual lives.  We create these spiritual checklists.  Did I have enough quiet time?  Did I evangelize to my co-workers?  Have I spent an hour in prayer today?  Do I only listen to Christian radio?

And it’s not that any of these things are bad things, but what happens is we begin to evaluate our worth as a Christian based on our ability to do these Christian things.  And so if I do these things, it means I’m a good Christian and God is happy with me.  But if I get stuck in Leviticus again because it’s kind of boring, then that somehow says, "God isn’t happy with me."

Killed By Our Lists

When we evaluate ourselves by our completion of checklists, it kills us.  We die a slow and painful death as our checklists either make us arrogant in our own abilities to check things of the list or make us wallow in our inability to ever check everything off the list.

And it’s not that any of the things on the list are even bad things.  Reading your Bible daily is a great thing.  Being a good parent and spouse is crucial.  Loving your job and doing well in your job is an important thing.  But when those things form your identity, we get into trouble.  When the checklists of our home life, spiritual life, and work life begin to shape our sense of worth, we stop trusting the Gospel.

When we evaluate our worth by our performance, we fail to believe that we have all we need in Christ.   And our worth does not rest in how well you do in your job, how great you are at taking care of your home, or even how incredible your devotional life is.  Your worth rests solely in what Christ has done for you.  It rests not in the checklist that you have to complete but in the one that has been completed by Christ.

Photo Credit: VisionsByVicky