Philippians 4:19–20 (ESV)
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
As a high-schooler, I didn’t care about being useful. And, since my folks were affluent, I thought I didn’t care about money—I certainly never thought about it very much.
That all changed when I connected with Jesus, took on responsibilities, and cared about my life having a positive effect.
However, usefulness was not my primary thought as a young adult, and then, as a pastor. I thought more about success. My training emphasized church size and how many people we could bring to Jesus.
I saw the on-fire successful pastors had huge megachurches, so I thought that was the key to success and pleasing God.
So, I ended up practically starting and growing a megachurch in just 13 years.
Bible teacher, Charles Swindoll, says, “Adversity kills its hundreds, and success kills its thousands.”
Sure enough! The success that I was told was important in the church quit working for me. I realized I couldn’t know or pastor the hundreds of parishioners. And, I realized, I was so busy with the church that I neglected my own family.
Thankfully, as I awakened to what mattered in life, the church and I parted ways. We were no longer a good fit for each other.
The church continued to grow and has become the biggest evangelical church in our community. I became increasingly attracted to Jesus and his declaration: “Where two or three are gathered there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Nowadays, I do a lot less visible church work. The interactive church I attend consists of three to eight people, and I am not in charge. We like to believe that the Holy Spirit is in charge—facilitating our relationships with the Lord and each other.
Today, I rejoice! The Word of God says:
“And my God shall supply all your usefulness ( Strongs: 5532—chreía—use, usage, employment, business, need) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
Riches indeed!
Let’s go out and Giv’m Heaven!
Your brother,
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