wisdom...

I read several blogs throughout the week...I've got my favorites that I read everyday. There are some that are really inspiring and helpful for me. Here's a recent post from Craig Groeschel, who is the pastor of LifeChurch.tv...pretty profoud I thought:

Let’s review yesterday’s thought:

You are not what you did, what you do, or what you are going to do. You are who Christ says you are.

When you are doing ministry, try to remember:

* What you do is a result of who you are in Christ.
* What you do doesn’t define who you are.
* Don’t confuse the “who” with the “do.”

You are not successful because:

* Your kids’ ministry grew 10% this year.
* Three people got saved last week.
* Your budget increased by 5%.
* The parents of your student ministry like you.
* Your church is bigger this year than this time last year.

You are successful because of who you are in Christ. You please God by obeying him, not performing up to your personal expectations.

Are you doing ministry to get worth, feel successful or to find your identity? Or are you doing ministry to please, to resemble, to delight in Christ and bring people to Him?

I need to be reminded so many times about who I am in Christ. It's sad, but sometimes in the "church" world, you can lose focus on why you serve. I really struggle with some of the present day church success indicators...and with people who really believe in them. They really fire me up!