Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Something I Read Today

This post is from Steven Furtick, lead pastor at Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. We both graduated from North Greenville College, but I haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet. But I know God is blessing his ministry and thousands of lives have changed in the process. Enjoy! And remember "Information without application and transformation is an abomination!"


Excellence: An inside jobSeptember 24th, 2009
…He overlaid (the ark) with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it…-Exodus 37:1-2

The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. It served as the storage center for the Ten Commandments, and was Israel’s most sacred possession. It makes perfect sense to overlay the ark with gold on the outside. Everybody’s going to see that part every time it makes a public appearance. Obviously, we want to do everything we can to make God look good, and to represent him well in front of others.

But why bother overlaying the inside of the ark with gold? Wouldn’t silver suffice? Is that really necessary? Isn’t it a bit opulent? Extravagant? Wasteful? Secondary? Unproductive?
Not for a purpose as important as the presence of God. Only the best is acceptable.

I recently challenged our staff to find as many ways as possible to overlay the inside of the ark-the part of our ministry that no one sees-with gold. To give great effort to the hidden details. This doesn’t come naturally.

We’re good at getting our crap together in the high traffic areas of our ministry:Music, lighting, production, videos.But do we overlay the ark with gold in the places no one sees?Are we prompt? Do we keep our spaces clean and organized? Is our communication timely and clear?
Let’s make it more personal. Do I overlay the inside parts of my personal life with gold? Do I speak well of others at all times? Do I monitor my private thoughts…even though they aren’t projected on the big screen? Do I wear the SuperPastor cape on weekends only, or am I a loving, kind, thoughtful husband and father Monday through Friday?

It’s important to give our best to the seen and unseen places in our lives and ministries. Here’s an axiom for reflection:

When we honor God in the places no one seesHe will honor us in the places everyone sees.

Excellence is an inside job.

No comments: