What is your greatest aspiration in life?

 

What is your greatest aspiration in life? It is probably what you think about the most. It may be treasuring our family - something all of us should do. It may be whatever version of success we are shooting for. For some, it is the pursuit of meaning through all kinds of various avenues that span the healthy and sometimes the unhealthy. All of us are searching for something and that something becomes our aspiration. Our goal. It becomes our focus.

As we have seen repeatedly in this Lent Series, Jesus had a way of turning conventional wisdom on its head. And on this question of life aspiration He does it again. In fact, He says that if you love this life you will lose it but if you hate your life in this world they will keep it for eternal life. So much for our aspirations, but let's look more closely at a conversation Jesus had after he came into Jerusalem on the week before His crucifixion. It is found in John 12:20-28.

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

What did Jesus' words have to do with the Greeks who came to the disciples and asked to see Jesus? These Greeks wanted to get close to Jesus. Many wanted to get close to Jesus. He was a popular guy, especially as He healed and taught in parables. Lots of people like to get close to Jesus. We want all the advantages that He brings. We want His blessing and often we don’t know what we are actually asking, just as these Greeks didn’t know what they were asking.

Let me tell you what it means to be close to me He says. In fact, the hour has come for me to be glorified. I tell you that “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. He is here predicting His coming death. But He goes on to say that “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” 

If your aspirations are anchored in this world and this life says Jesus you will lose your life. This world is lost and the aspirations that are focused on this life are not about life. It is a fallen world and its focuses are sinful rather than righteous. But if you love me and my kingdom and my values and my work as the goal of your life, then you will also experience eternal life. In fact, He is saying that just as I will die, you too must die to the values and focuses of this world. In fact, whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

If you want to be near me. If you really want to know me. Then you need to follow me and part of that following is dying to all the sinful ways of this world and becoming alive to the life that I give. This is called the cruciform life. A cruciform is something in the shape of a cross and following Jesus means that we embrace the cross in our own lives. The cross is a symbol of death and there is no life in Jesus without a death to self and a transfer of the leadership of our lives from ourselves to Him. With that transfer we learn to embrace His cruciform life, centered on the cross and the life that He gives to us. 

This is why those who follow Him look so different from those who don’t. They have embraced Him and in doing so have embraced our own death to self to be made alive in Him. The cruciform life.

Then Jesus makes this amazing statement. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Knowing the cost of the cross where He took on Himself every sin you and I have ever committed” He is deeply troubled. But rather than run from His cruciform assignment he says, “Father, glorify your name.”

Jesus is declaring that His sole aspiration in life is to glorify the name of the Father. It was all about the Father. That was his aspiration even knowing what the cost would be. It was a kingdom aspiration not an aspiration of this world. It looked forward to eternity rather than being planted in this world. Whatever would glorify the father, He was in. This is the cruciform life. This is the vision and aspiration that Jesus calls us to. This is what it means to know Jesus and to love Him and this is when we experience life that is truly life.

So we come back to the original question. What is your aspiration in life? What drives you? What are you willing to give in order to join Jesus in a cruciform life? Remember the words of Jesus: “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” But then these words. “My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Father, I don’t like death to self but I want to follow you. Where you go, I want to go. Where you are I want to be. Help me to live the cruciform life. Glorify your name through me! Amen

Question for Today: Is my goal in life to live the cruciform life and glorify the name of the Father?

What is your vision for you life?

It is amazing how quickly and easily we fall into the trap of living without a great deal of thought as to what we are after, the choices we are making or the significance of what we say yes and no to. Without a vibrant vision for our lives we end up living accidentally rather than intentionally - wasting the promise of our days.

God gave us gifts and purpose. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2:10. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. (The Message translation).

He created us for something special and unique. I often talk to individuals who are searching for something that they can contribute to others, to society or to God's work. What they sense they are missing, without knowing it is the purpose that God created them for. When we don't live out that purpose, we sense that something is missing and we often try to fill that missing piece without realizing that what is missing is our living out God's vision for our lives.

We often make the mistake of thinking that we cannot make much of a difference in our world. The truth is that in God's economy, ordinary people like you and I make a profound difference for Jesus in the small ways that we answer His call to contribute to those around us using the ways that He has uniquely gifted us. 

How do we know how He has gifted us? Here are some ways to figure that out:

• What am I most passionate about?
• What am I really good at and when I do it I feel like I am in my lane?
• What do others see in me and compliment me for?
• If I could do anything with my life, what would it be?

The answers to these questions give us clues as to how He wants us to contribute to His Kingdom work. Our job is to find ways in which we can do that.

We need a vision for our lives that transcends just living. A vision that gives our lives eternal significance as we join Him in His work in our world. A world that desperately needs healing, hope, help, peace through the involvement of His people. 

The most happy and satisfied people I know are those who choose to live at the intersection of their God given gifting and God's call on their lives. 

Do you have a vision for your life that includes those places where you can contribute to God's work in our world? 

The spelling of personal success

I saw this notice yesterday in a store I visited and was immediately struck by how much of our definition of success is dictated by our culture and how little by both common sense and Jesus. The other thing that struck me was how often we don't evaluate our own assumptions and definitions. It is why this blackboard is so striking. It visually shows what happens when we do and in doing so causes us to pay attention.

I took the time recently to rethink my own definition of success. It is an exercise that is worth doing. Think of the broad categories of your life and then consider what you really believe success looks like. You may, like me, find yourself crossing some things out and writing a better definition. 

Kingdom Entrepreneurs

What would happen if we helped Christ followers think of themselves as kingdom entrepreneurs? That is like entrepreneurs in the market place who are always looking for new opportunities. Like them we should be training those entrusted to us in the church to always be looking for new opportunities to bring Jesus into the picture with those around us.

In many ways, our emphasis on programming in the church and then the need to staff that programming has trained people to be passive in the ministry department, waiting to be invited or told about the role they should play. Not only are these opportunities often not in the sweet spot of those asked but it also centers much of the ministry inside the church rather than in the world where we are called to have major influence.

The church is the most viral organization on the face of the earth. There are believers in every corner of the world, in every social strata, in every profession (well almost on that one). If each of us, scattered across the landscape were to see ourselves as a kingdom entrepreneur placed there directly by Jesus in order to make his reputation great and his name well known who knows how much influence the church would once again have!

It also places the responsibility on those who have been given it: Each of us (Ephesians 2:10). And it challenges us to live out our calling in unique and creative ways always consistent with how God uniquely, handcrafted us for that very purpose. And there is no age limit here, young or mature. All of us can be kingdom entrepreneurs. It is also deeply consistent with the parable of the talents where each one given a sum of money by the master going on a trip was expected to find ways to multiply that sum in a creative way. 

What is the church missing today? In many cases it is people who think and act like kingdom entrepreneurs where everyone is in the game with and for Jesus.

All of T.J. Addington's books including his latest, Deep Influence,  are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 per book discount on orders of ten or more.

The gift of connecting people to God's redemptive story

God's redemptive story from the beginning of creation to the New Creation is one of bringing redemption to sinful people that results in new life in Christ and the impact of the gospel in all of our relationships, workplaces, neighborhoods and places of influence. In other words every Christ follower becomes part of that redemptive story. The problem is that many Christians do not have a vision for how God wants to use them or the part He wants them to play in that story.

In many ways salvation has become a way to heaven (which it is) but not a grand vision of life where we are now players in God's redemptive plan (which we are) for the sake of bringing His truth and righteousness to our corner of the world (which He desires). That is sad and it diminishes the joy we can experience when we join Him in His work and story. It is the lack of that connection between our redemption and God's story that often leaves the church with little impact beyond the parking lot of our churches.

One of the greatest gifts we can give others is to help them see the amazing part God want's them to play in His story. Ordinary people who can have an extraordinary impact on those around us in often small but significant ways.

This is the message of Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God uniquely created and wired us for "good works," whatever that may be so that we could join Him in His work on this needy planet. When God's people catch a vision for what that means in their day to day lives their purpose moves from merely existing to becoming active players in God's eternal drama and plan.

Why do people not connect their lives with that grand vision more often? Perhaps we do not emphasize enough the purpose for which we are saved. Perhaps we overemphasize ministry in the church to the exclusion of living out our faith in the majority of our lives. Perhaps we don't encourage people to discover what God made them for? I don't know all the reasons but I do know there is a deficit of understanding how we all fit into God's bigger plan.

I love the genealogies in Scripture. They chronicle how people famous and infamous, ordinary and otherwise were part of God's eternal story. We are in that chain of significance. Every one of us. Let's help all believers understand that. 

All of T.J. Addington's books are available from the author for the lowest prices and a $2.00 discount on orders of ten or more.

Everyone who finds their purpose in life is a genius

The quote is not original - it came from a twenty something Christian leader in Berlin but it certainly caught my attention. Jesus created every one of us for a unique purpose and wired and gifted us so that we could achieve that purpose (Ephesians 2:10). When we discover our the lane God made us for we live with great purpose and satisfaction. When not, we miss the joy!

If God made us for a purpose it makes sense that we would be intentional in discerning what that is. In my book, Live Like You Mean it, I suggest that we need to ask ten crucial questions about our life. The first one is "Why am I here?" It is a question worth pondering because life is not random and God is not random. Therefore we ought not live random lives. God has a unique and wonderful purpose for our life that when discovered gives us great joy and satisfaction.

The good news is that while everyone who finds their purpose in life may be a genius, you don't have to be a genius to discover it.

Ask the question, where do I find the greatest joy? What fills me up when I do it? What do others tell me I am really good at? What does a really good day look like for me? Where do I contribute the best to what God is up to? What do I wish I could do that I am not? In addition, simply ask God for insight into what He made you for. He is the creator and He knows and He wants us to be in our lane for our sake and His.

God created me to teach, preach, write and lead and help build his church globally. When I am in those lanes I am fulfilled. When I get out of those lanes I am pretty ineffective. I am no genius but I understand why God made me. Why did he make you? Are you running in the right lane or trying to be something you are not?