Worship Podcast
If I know anything, I know that leadership is hard.
I have a hard time leading myself, let alone being a catalyst for others to grow, get plugged in, and develop.
Sometimes I wonder, “Why am I qualified or called to be a leader?” I for sure don’t have it all together. I can’t remember if I brushed my teeth this morning, let alone where I see my ministry or business in five years.
Do you feel the same? In over your head? Overwhelmed?
This morning I happened to read one of my favorite Scriptures in the Bible:
“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption” (Acts 13:36).
This verse challenges everything I do with my life.
When it all comes down to it, am I building a career or the Kingdom? Am I serving God’s purpose or my own? What about you?
Ministry is an interesting challenge. It goes against the current of our culture, which is all about building a career and climbing the corporate ladder.
There’s nothing wrong with building a career, of course. You can still build a career and build the kingdom. It’s all about a mindset shift which works its way into how you work.
Whether you’re an employee, an entrepreneur, or a full time pastor, we all have the temptation of building something other than the kingdom. But the Kingdom of God is why we’re here and we can’t lose sight of that.
What is one item that has been on your todo list for a long time?
You probably don’t have to think too long. That project likes to nag you. It mocks your procrastination. It’s the project you’ve been putting off but you know will make a huge difference. If I’m honest, the things I focus on most of the time are a waste. They aren’t the tasks that make the biggest impact.
I recently launched a massive project – an online course called Learn Worship Keys. To see the project finished and finally launched feels so great.
But can I be honest? The work it took to get an important project like this “done” is anything but glamorous, exciting, or fun. It was a massive grind. Painful work. Deep thought. It’s what Seth Godin calls “emotional labor”.
I don’t have a problem with professionalism. Really, I don’t.
When someone is professional, it’s not typically a negative connotation.
At the same time, it’s possible to become too professional. Professional in the sense that you stop learning, stop seeing the wonder, stop pulling the beauty out of life. You know how to clock in and do your job. You know the ropes. You know how to dial it in.
Everybody wants to make it.
Everybody wants to be known. Everybody wants their life’s work to matter.
I’m sure you didn’t wake up today saying, “I hope nobody ever hears about the work I do. I pray that the projects I invest my life in make zero difference and I fade into oblivion. That’s the good life!”
Sure, we criticize those in fame’s spotlight, but if you were handed millions of adoring fans you wouldn’t complain. The problem with fame isn’t fame itself but what we choose focus on. It’s a much better servant than it is a master.
We need to stop focusing on fame and seek faithfulness instead. We should seek to be faithful to something greater than our own fame.