Counting Down

I think about the fact that Jesus had a radical effect on the world during His earthly ministry and managed to accomplish that in only three years. He obviously had the benefit of divine insight, but that only led Him to carefully leverage every moment that He had over that three year period. He didn't waste opportunities or conversations, but was intentional in everything that He did.

I don't have that same insight, but I wonder how differently I would act if I knew that I only had three years:

• To build a successful church
• Set up financial security
• Leave a legacy as a parent
• Solidify my healthy marriage
• Impact family/friends who aren't following Christ
• Influence a community

What if you only had three years to create a lasting legacy for your family and community? What would we have to change right now to have that sense of urgency and focus? Imagine how much greater our impact would be if we emphasized the value of each moment instead of letting them pass us by.

Sense of Urgency

I have a statement written on the whiteboard in my office-"Vision + Urgency = Growth." It is referring to the growth of a church, but my thoughts this morning are focused on its impact on my overall life.

I don't know that a lot of people (myself included) live each day with a sense of urgency. We tend to keep up with the pace of life as dictated by our calendars, but busyness is not the same as urgency. Fervent attention to a vision for our lives and the disciplined obedience it takes to see it fulfilled lead us to a level of growth that is absent otherwise. It is our failure to seek vision from God and adhere to it that leads to complacency. We can easily become people who simply go through the motions of life.

I am not comfortable with that and I believe that is why there has been unrest in my soul these past few weeks. I need to recapture the vision that God has for me as His son, for my family, and for my calling as a pastor. Each day must then be directed by diligent faithfulness to see the growth that He intends.

Imagine the difference in the church and in our communities if we operated with that focus. We haven't even imagined the metric to measure the growth that God has waiting for us if we do.