A thought God is birthing in me.

I cannot really take credit for this thought. But I can flesh it out a bit more. As a pastor, I have struggled with the idea that I am not successful because I don't see the numbers, I don't see the connection, I don't see a lot of things that the world measures as successful. While listening to Pastor Aaron Stern @theMill, God reminded me that his standards are different.

Isaiah 55:8-9

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God doesn't measure success based on  the American dream. He measures it by how willing you are to follow him.

“Walking with Jesus isn't about your success; it's about God's Glory. and often times, God's glory, God's holiness, God's work, God's redemptive picture in us; he will do at the expense of our happiness, our comfort and our success." –Pastor Aaron Stern, TheMill

God measures fruit, NOT the size of the tree. If a person is producing fruit, it doesn't matter if they have 2.5 kids, the $300k house, the Mercedes SLK, and everyone loving them.

Jesus had an experience with a rich young man. He was wealthy, he had power, he had what we could call the American dream. However, Jesus told him he had to sell all he had and give the money to the poor then follow him. 

Surely Jesus didn't say that? Really? Sell everything?

Jesus wasn't calling him to live a life of poverty, he was giving him a test to see what he thought was successful! Jesus said, "If you sell it all, and give the money to the poor, you'll be rich in God's eyes." (paraphrased) and the young man went away sad because he had great wealth.
He chose the wealth and the way people define success, not the way God defines it. How do you define success?

Think about it.

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