There are many definitions for success in today’s culture. For some, success is defined by the number of accomplishments we’ve made, or the number of possessions we’ve attained.

Jesus’ definition of success is counter-cultural. It has nothing to do with our accomplishments or our possessions—it has everything to do with our character.

Jesus’ teaching in Luke 16:10 is primarily about the content of our character. He says that those who are trusted with small things will be entrusted to larger things. Those who are faithful with what they’ve been given will be given the opportunity to be faithful over more. And those who are dishonest, unfaithful, and untrustworthy, will do the same with what they’re given.

It’s not ultimately important to Jesus whether we are financially successful in life. What’s more important is what we do with what we’ve already been given.

Little acts of faithfulness every day is how our character is shaped over time. The small decisions and the hard decisions are what create us into people of trust and honesty.

If you’re asking God for more in life, make sure that you’re being faithful with the things He has already given you. Use the resources and opportunities you have to build trust and honesty with other people.

God is looking to use people of character. Pray for God to increase your character and to give you the opportunities to become a person who is faithful and honest in every area of life.
​

​Why do I still invite everyone to church? Because attendance still matters!
 
I can only imagine amount of people upset about comment and this point of view, and I’m going to say it anyway. As a general rule based upon experience and observation; the more casual the attendance, the more casual the devotion.
 
This is true of in-person attendance and online attendance. And although it may be a minority view, I think it’s a mistake to discount online attendance as though it didn’t count. It is different, but it does count. Especially Whenever someone leanings in, pays attention and takes it seriously. And that can happen in person AND online. 
 
Infrequent attendance (online or in-person) is often a sign of diluted devotion.
 
I have heard the argument, and I agree that I can’t judge someone’s spiritual condition.  I’m not pretending to do that. And no, this is NOT an absolute rule. But it is a correlation I’ve seen again and again. It is something that has shown up in countless conversations in the community and in the pastoral office.
 
This isn’t a description of what should be or even of what always is (we can agree that there are some very devoted Christians who don’t attend church anymore), but it doesn’t take much careful observation to notice that Christians who attend church casually usually have a more casual commitment to their faith.
 
Think about it. If someone used to be fully engaged in the mission (serving, inviting friends, giving, attending, and in a small group), and now they’re doing none of those things and showing up once every two months, do you usually discover that they are closer to God than they were before, or that they’ve drifted further away from God? In my experience, that is almost always a sign of drift.
 
And if someone is going to begin a relationship with Christ, would you recommend that they do this 100% on their own, only occasionally seeking guidance, support, and mentoring from a wider Christian community? I wouldn’t recommend that either. 
 
Infrequent church attendance is rarely a catalyst for spiritual growth.

In a quick reading Acts, most of us would not have guessed at the start of Philip’s ministry in chapter 6 that he would ascend to such spiritual heights in chapter 8. Philip’s ministry began as a lay-deacon humbly passing out the widow’s portions in the Jerusalem church. But it soared to unimagined heights when persecution hit. Though he was not a professional, God’s power worked through him to the despised Samaritans, and large numbers of them heard and believed the good news and were saved. In the last half of Acts 8 Philip’s ministry is still rising to its height. However, instead of the vast multitudes of Samaria (or preaching at a large church), the mission of God now comes through Philip to one man in a desert place far from the large city. God valued that individual as much as the multitudes, and he used Philip to touch his life.
 
We are often fascinated by great tales of “chance” encounters. Somewhere along a lonely road in the middle of nowhere, a man suddenly appears and asks a Christian traveler, “Can you tell me who Jesus is?” Luke’s account of Philip’s divine intersection with the Ethiopian sounds amazing to us, but it would have been just as fascinating to first-century Romans or Greeks, for in their view Ethiopians lived literally at the southern edge of the earth. 
 
I remember a particular day back in my small hometown when I was in high school.  I was preparing for hunting season and went to the shooting range near a wildlife reserve area.  I specifically chose this range because it was always empty, except on this day.  On this day an man named Paul, one of the new pastors in our town was there.  I made a valiant attempt to avoid eye contact, but Paul was having none of that, and he started a conversation that included the gospel of Jesus and an additional part just for me.  Paul said, “I feel like I need to tell you that you are going into the ministry and God is going to do some great things through you.”  I almost laughed at this because I was at best a nominal Christian with a cultural attitude.  I held my thoughts in, but I knew that there was no way I was going into vocational ministry, and I was not likely to even show up to service that weekend. 
That conversation stuck with me for years, until I found myself years later at a crossroads and making the choice to go into vocational ministry.  Paul knew back then, what I had yet to discover: 
In God’s value system, it matters not whether you preach to hundreds in a city or one in the wilderness. Your faithfulness to the call of God is the only measure of success.  God takes full responsibility for the life fully devoted to him, and I am thankful that Paul took a risk to have a conversation with a stubborn high school kid in a small town. 
 

1. What is an action step you can take to change your world like Philip?
2. What are some things that might stop you from taking these steps?

 
Daily Prayer: God, thank you that our success is not measured in the same way that the world measures it, and that you are faithful to us and take full responsibility for the consequences when we submit to you and your authority. 
 
Supporting Reading: Acts 8