My husband and I often joke that our home’s front door is for appearances only. It is the garage door that is used far more. That gigantic beast is raised and lowered more times during the week than we can count. So much so that we are startled when someone actually knocks on the front door! But this is our home and the familiar way in and out – for those who are family – is via the side entrance.
It is kind of the same thing at work. I enter through the side “employee” door. It is a simple and familiar route that feels a lot like home – I only see staff family on that staircase. So it makes sense that is where the New Life Church Staff Values are posted. It is placed there for a very specific audience. An audience who has the responsibility of serving our church family and community as the hands and feet of Jesus. It is a good place to be reminded each morning that this family is here to bring glory to God, not build a platform for ourselves. And at the very top of the list, we read…
Kingdom: We believe in Kingdom over brand, celebrity, and renown.
Well, Value #1 sure does fly in the face of humanity! It is not our human nature to put others before ourselves. It goes against our grain to be willing to disappear in the process of spotlighting others. After all, we are frequently told that our personal brand, celebrity, and renown is paramount to a successful life. Even more, we are told, they are the markers of a successful life. Yikes!
Unless you love Jesus.
When we love Jesus, we find ourselves so in love that we nearly compete to give ourselves away. What we set our hands to has a deeper meaning than the task itself. We pour ourselves out for the purpose of benefitting others and trusting that God will take care of us too. Because He is that big and that loving!
Yes, we have been given talents and gifts to be used with excellence, and we should do our best to do our best each day. However, those gifts have been entrusted to us for the purpose of bringing Him glory and that is done by spending them on others, not ourselves. As a family, we each bring our gifts to the table and add them to others’ gifts, then pray the Lord’s blessing over it all before we give it away.
And that is where true life is found.
If we were to try and do this on our own, we would burn out in an instant. The world loves to take advantage of people – chew them up and spit them out. Perhaps that is why we might be hesitant to accept the Lord’s invitation in this heavenly-minded endeavor. But once we do, oh, there lies the beauty of true love! When we accept the Lord’s invitation to pour ourselves out as He has designed, we also experience the wonder of receiving His power and strength to do so. It is literally not our own strength, but His, that powers that kind of sacrifice.
And that is when it becomes easy, even logical, to put Kingdom over brand, celebrity, and renown. The switch is flipped, and we start seeking out ways to join in the work the Holy Spirit is doing here on earth. Trusting Him to make a way where there isn’t one, providing when resources appear dried up, and loving the seemingly unlovable. What an invitation!
You are adored.
You Are Adored 