focus

So recently I found myself in a conversation involving church constitutions and policies… a topic that I grew up never really interested in. But nevertheless, there I was….

The interesting thing about it all was the notion that our “church policy” could be simply stated by: “For God’s glory.” Sounds simple enough, right? As funny as that sounds, it really could be a simple as that. For instance, when a situation comes up about budget spending, or property use, or calendar planning, any scrutiny on the topic should really just fall under the precursor: “does this bring glory to God?”

Perhaps it’s too broad… or it seems so at least. See, we love to talk and hear about how stubborn the modern church is and how people hate change and all that… but it seems to take a pretty sharp turn when the focus really does shift towards us. I think we too constantly have justified our position perhaps without even knowing it. We feel like we are pretty open to new concepts, different ideas, or semi-radical philosophies on ministry, but what do we discover with a little inward examination? What are some of the traditions or ideologies in our own lives that we’ve somehow determined aren’t negotiable? And is standing firm in those things just because that’s the way we’ve always done it, is that glorifying God?

I had the extreme honor of serving at Texas Super Summer this year, and the theme was taken from Psalm 47:10,

“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

And during the week, we were really challenged to change the way our minds have always looked at certain things, like this very Bible scripture. We usually read be still and know that I am God and stop reading there. But the “bottom line” as Super Summer’s theme stated it, is not focused on us at all! The point of all of this is that God will be exalted!

I think we get all too focused on the fact that we’ve been commanded to be still, and so we focus way too much on our own actions, and if they coincide with whether or not that’s “being still and knowing” that He is God. While there may not be anything wrong with those things, we’re missing the point altogether! The point is that God will be exalted!

So in consideration of church policies, or planning your youth’s summer calendar, or organizing a worship service, or a family summer picnic at church, the central focus of questions should not be how much money it costs, or how many people will show up. I’m not saying these are irrelevant questions, because they are good questions to be asked. But they shouldn’t be the main focus. However, one thing to consider is whether or not the “investment” as we see it, displays God’s glory or not. That’s the bottom line, right? That should be the focus of our efforts – of our lives.