The stories in the Bible with unusual ways always draw me in. Like the plan to conquer Jericho through marching and trumpets (Joshua 6) or the strategy for Naaman’s healing: dipping into the dirty Jordan River seven times (2 Kings 5:14). I find myself engaged, encouraged, and all out strengthened when I read them. It doesn’t take long when reading the Bible to realize that God’s way of doing things is often very different than our way. (Who would choose to prepare for battle by shrinking their army like in Judges 7?!) In fact, God has found some really incredible ways to display His glory and bolster the faithfulness of His people!
Along with the stories there are also many challenging statements. Commands that speak to God’s ways but at first glance seem foolish and impossible to do. Things like: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44) and choose to give rather than receive (Acts 20:35). The ways of God challenge Jesus’ followers at the deepest level. But time and again the story of scripture reveals to us that God’s ways are always the best ways—not always the easiest, but the best. Not only are they the most beneficial for us, but they are also the ways that bring the most glory to His name.
New Theme
As an organization, over the past year we have reflected on what it means to delight in the Lord. It has been an awesome theme that has brought out numerous great ideas and challenged the way many of us view work, pleasure, and God’s perspective of us. As we move forward, we are excited to make pursuing God’s ways our next theme! Over the coming months we will begin unpacking this principle through video and written blogs as well as journals, emails, and other creative outlets. In doing so, our hope is that we continue to strive to shape our individual and organizational culture and practices around God’s ways and Biblical truth rather than popular opinion or standard practice.
Three reasons to be excited
I believe Pursuing God’s Ways will be a powerful theme and impactful reflection in the coming months. Here are three reasons to be excited.
1) Understanding our motives (our why) will make us stronger leaders
Throughout the months to come we will use the book “The Spiritual Dangers of Doing Good” to shape some of our discussion on this theme. This resource gets to the heart of our motivation for doing good, for serving others. In his research, Dr. J. Robert Clinton found that only one out of every three biblical leaders maintained a dynamic faith that allowed them to avoid abusing their power or doing something harmful to themselves or to others. Only one in three finished well! [1] As a leader, I want to learn how to grow and finish well. I realize that understanding how to serve with the right reasons and grasping God’s ways for my motivations will make us stronger, more effective, godly leaders. That is exciting!
2) Moving from knowing God’s works to knowing His ways will draw us nearer to Him
Sometimes I think we get so hung up on God’s works that we fail to know His ways. In other words, we fail to really know Him. We can become like the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. They witnessed God’s works close up—the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the cloud of fire by night—and they were infatuated with this miracle working God who was giving them the promised land. But, as we see in the story, they never really knew Him. They lacked faith, continued in their idolatry, and purposely rejected God’s law. (2 Kings 17:7-9)[2]
It’s easy to rejoice in the good works, blessings, and provisions of God. But we must never settle for the blessing without the Blesser, the provision with the Presence. If all we see are the works of God, then we don’t have intimacy. But in learning the ways of God we learn to know Him, and when we know Him we learn to love Him, and to love Him is to trust Him, and to trust Him is to obey Him and to obey Him is to be blessed. [2] That’s exciting!
3) We will find lasting good in pursuing His ways.
We need to avoid being continuously filled with our own thoughts, ideas, and plans. Our most urgent need is to hear the Almighty’s word and then take steps to obey. [3] Pursuing God’s ways will bring lasting good to us and those we minister to. It yields intimacy (Psalms 15:1-6), effectiveness (2 Timothy 2:20-26), peace (2 Peter 3:10-18), and fruitfulness (Ephesians 5:1-17). That’s exciting!
One challenge
As pastors and leaders, we want to finish well. Leading out of our own strength, motivation, and understanding will ultimately wear us down and tear us up. We will find that what is left is burnout and a shallow faith. The challenge before us is this: over the coming months are we willing to ask the hard questions? Are we willing to allow God to search us and reveal to us whatever is hidden in our hearts?
I will leave you with this question to reflect on:
How do I determine my motives for doing good?
May God speak to us over the coming months as we seek to better understand how to lead, love and live in the pursuit of God’s ways.
Growth Point:
Pursuing God’s ways is about growing in intimacy with the Lord not just enjoying His blessing.
Scripture Point:
Read Isaiah 55:8: What does this verse mean to you? What is God telling you as a leader?
Action Point:
Reflect on the question: How do I determine my motives for doing good? Spend 30 minutes this week making a list of the thoughts that come to mind; pray and ask God to direct your steps forward.
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