You can't serve up Purpose and Prestige. Choose your passion
When is the last time you have checked your priorities, passions, and pursuits?
What's fueling you? Where are you headed?
Are you pursuing Purpose of Prestige?
These is the question we must ask ourselves.
We can either choose to lead a purpose driven life or a life fueled by chasing accolades, approval and notoriety (prestige).
Did you know by definition notoriety is the state of being famous or well known for some bad quality or deed.
Did you know a synonym for Prestige is Clout?
I don't know about you but being knowing for bad deeds and clout chasing is NOT on my To Do list! lol
But you know what IS on my to do list? Living a purpose driven life.
When you're living a purposeful life, God sends the audience because you have a service that they need. You have a work to complete. Something to give. In these instances, God is glorified.
With purpose, the focus is on Giving, with prestige the focus is on Getting.
When you are pursuing prestige , you want the glory for yourself. This is not of God. We might even say this is the same issue the enemy had. He wanted to be just as known and just as powerful as God.
He wanted to be equal to God.
But the thing is: No one is equal to God.
Reverence (deep regard, respect, and admiration) belongs to the Father... not us.
When we operate knowing that ALL Glory goes to the Lord, we may humbly serve without the desire for people to admire us , without taking God's credit and without doing things that are only done to serve our egos and wants to be known for our works.
Are not good works good in and of themselves?
When we focus on doing good out of our love and obedience to God, doing the work alone becomes fully satisfying.
My boyfriend has a shirt that says "Famous enough, known by God".
This simple statement was such an on time message for this week's blog post.
Being known by God is ALL that matters!
What good is it to be known by the world, but unknown by God?
Prestige may get you known by the world BUT purposeful work is done WITH God.
In Matthew 16:26 Jesus says to His disciples:
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Though a person may gain wealth , fame and success when pursuing prestige... it is all worthless if their soul is lost along the way.
Your soul is worth more than anything someone can offer.
The scripture is saying that once you lose your soul , this is very difficult to reverse.
We have to serve God in truth by doing His will to avoid having the wrong intentions on our life journey.
Simply "saying" you serve God is not enough. You have to actually do His will which is the purpose for your life.
But don't take my word for it... takes Jesus's word:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
In Matthew 7, Jesus warns us that simply calling on the name of the Lord alone does NOT mean you will enter heaven.
Knowing "of" you.. is NOT knowing you. God knows "of" all of us. He created us. But in this conversation Jesus is having, to "know" someone suggests, closeness and an active relationship with a person.
He warns us that entry into God's kingdom (a kingdom only available to those whom He claims and knows) is only made available by doing the will of the Father.
God is looking at our hearts, our motives, our actions and our obedience to His will for our lives.
This is why your priorities, passions, and pursuits matter. This is why I asked you about the last time you checked yourself.
We must always self-assess because it's easy to get distracted and off course.
But in the end, we must keep focus and remember the goal is not fame and prestige... you are famous enough when you are KNOWN BY GOD by leading a purpose driven life.
With that said, let's Pursue in Purpose and On Purpose ... because we serve a purposeful God.
Have a meaningful week ahead!
always with love,
Crystal