Erik Rees: Bringing Strengths to Life!

Do I Need A LifePlan?

Starting Living The Life You Were Meant To Live!

For the last twelve years I have had the honor of helping leaders focus their lives so they can truly live the life they were created to live.  This life change comes through a 2 day LifePlanning retreat that uses the Tom Paterson Life Plan Process (www.patersoncenter.com). The process has impacted lives for over fifty years.

When I first work with a leader, I have him use this mini check-list to see if he could really benefit from a LifePlan.  Historically, when someone checks more than ten areas they are in need of a LifePlan.   Do you?

• I have more talent than I am now using.
• I need to be held accountable.
• My life is being run on a treadmill.
• I’m not realizing my life goals.
• My marriage needs revitalization.
• I wish I could spend more time with my kids.
• I have no personal life.
• My career is my identity.
• I need a mission statement or road map for my life.
• I feel lonely.
• I need mentors in my life.
• I believe God has “big things” in mind for me.
• I want more time for solitude and reflection.
• I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up.
• I’m in transition: where do I go from here?
• I’m unhappy with my job.
• I have little self-worth and inner fulfillment.
• I feel lack on satisfaction with my life and job.
• “Quality time” rarely happens.
• I’m confused about how I make my contribution.
• I need to bring balance in my life.
• I know what to do, but do not do it.
• I need help determining God’s purpose for my life.

If you feel you are not living the life you were created to live, send me an email so we can connect and talk through possible next step.  A 30 minute call could help you maximize the next 30 years of your life.

Best,

Erik

erik@erikrees.com

Canton Campus Pastor

Amazing Leadership Opportunity - Canton Campus Pastor

NewPointe Church, Ohio

Church Solutions Group is honored to be partnering with the leadership team at NewPointe Church in Dover, Ohio as they seek their new Canton Campus Pastor.

The Place:: The word GROWING, best describes NewPointe Church! They have grown to over 3,500 in just a few years, which is why they are now growing through the addition of regional campuses.  They have three campuses now and will be adding Canton this year.  Due to the growing community of Canton, NP believes Canton will become the main campus in 3-5 years as they grow towards Akron and Cleveland.   NewPonte has an amazing vision of growth and impact.

A little more 411….NewPointe church exists to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  That’s their mission as a church. They work to realize this mission by creating relevant environments that are designed to encourage and equip people to pursue 3 things: intimacy with God, involvement in community and influence in the world.  As a church, NP holds to very specific values that guide, shape and uphold all of these efforts.  Without such values, they believe their efforts quickly become unfocused.  The 7 values, or hills that we will die on, are Scriptural Authority, Effective Environments, Relational Evangelism, Vital Service, Intimacy with God, Cultivate Community, & Enlist an Apprentice.

The Position:: If you want to be part of something amazing and influential this is opportunity has it all.  If you enjoy being part of a vision and building a vision this is a great opportunity for the right leader.  Not to mention, you will serve right next to the Football Hall of Fame!

NewPointe’s Canton Campus Pastor serves as the lead staff position at this new campus.  The ideal candidate will be a high caliber leader who serves as the “face” of NewPointe and is primarily responsible for all ministry teams, programs and volunteers at the campus.  This includes the role of building teams, identifying leaders, managing for quality, solving problems, championing the DNA and mission of NewPointe, and ultimately leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

The ideal candidate will also be an extrovert, competitive in nature, willing to embrace risk, enjoy variety, proven leader, love “team” ministry and a proven self-starter.  Due to this level of ministry leadership, the right person will have a minimum of five years of leading at high-levels and be a seminary graduate.   The selected leader will also need to obtain their Free Methodist Ministerial license and  State of Ohio license within 12 months of hire.

The Pay:: Great with good benefits. Not to mention, you live in Canton, Ohio where resources go a long way.

If you would like to be considered for this great opportunity, please email Erik Rees.

Developing Your Churches 20/20 Vision

In the last six weeks since leaving Saddleback Church, I have talked with over 20 churches about their leadership, their strategy and their vision.   It has become crystal clear to me church leaders are searching for their 20/20 vision.   They are asking questions like…

• Where are we going to be by 2020?
• What will we be known for in 2020?
• How will we be reaching by 2020?
• How will the staff change by 2020?
• What is our vision for the next 10 years?
• What do we need to stop so we can start….?

For most of us, we refer to 20/20 vision as eyesight.  A person with 20/20 vision has the what doctors call “perfect vision” because they can see letters on a chart clearly standing 20 feet away from it.  You may have been blessed with 20/20 vision or have to use corrective measures to experience it.  As my doc likes to say, “People with 20/20 have a clear image of their environment.”

Do you have a clear picture of your environment?  What about the image of  where your church is headed and how you are going to get there.  Is that cystal clear?  If not, consider these tips as a starting point to help you GRASP your churches 20/20 vision.

Get with God and ask for His wisdom. If you truly want to make the next 10 years the best 10 years of your life and ministry spend 20 minutes with God asking him to help you clarify where he wants your church to go for the next 20 days.

Realize your history but don’t be confined by it. History is great, but growing churches live in the now and the next rather than the past.

Align with your strengths and passions. The next 10 years will have some super highs and some super lows, but your passion will fuel you everyday to maximize your gifts and talents for God’s glory.    Don’t let others tell you what the next 10 years should be for you…you are the leader.  Step up and lead!

Seek 360 input so you have full perspective of your current reality. As God gives you a picture of how He wants you ministering the next 10 years, ask others for their thoughts too.  For example, you may be feeling it’s time to jump into the multi-site game…seek wisdom before jumping in.

Put a plan in play to move towards your vision. Once you feel you have a picture of the next 10 years, have made sure it ignites your strengths/passions and have sought input…build a strategic plan to make it happen.

If you dedicate time and energy now to these core areas,  you too can live with a clear picture (20/20 Vision) your life and church.  If you need help discovering, defining and directing your churches 20/20 vision, give me a call 949-400-4765.  Would love to partner with you!

Cheering for you!

Erik

It’s Time To Brand YOU!

5 Steps to Finding Your Special Brand

For you 30,000 foot people here is the simple equation to discovering and directing your brand.

strengths + passions + personality + needs = your brand!

For those that want to drop down 29,000 feet here are five simple but significant steps towards embracing and expressing you brand!  To make it simple, I have tied the steps to the word BRAND.

B – Build off your God-given strengths.  Ask yourself, “What are my strengths?” Come up with 5 things you just excel at and love doing. Now ask a few others to affirm and confirm your list. A 360 assessments are essential for accuracy. Allowing others to speak into your life is so important….just make sure you are willing to listen.

R – Release your passions!  Ask yourself, “Who do I want to impact?” This is your target audience. Could be: kids, youth, families, Pastors, leaders, mom’s, etc.  Now ask yourself, “Why do I want to impact them?” It is essential to understand what drives you to take action.  Your motive becomes your motivation.

A – Activate your personality! Ask yourself, “How am I wired?” The way you act, react and execute is a reflection of your God-given wring.  Think about how you process risk.  Think about the way you engage others and projects.  Think about how you embrace challenge and change. These are goo places to see your true wiring.

N – Needs first! Think back to the people you want to impact. Ask yourself, “What needs in their life do you feel drawn to meet for God?” Spiritual needs? Physical needs? Relational needs? Vocational needs? Intellectual needs? The list can go on…the key is to realize is you can’t be all things to all people. Pick no more than two needs so you stay focused.

D – Develop a 90 day action plan!  Now it’s time to test-drive your brand!  Ask yourself, “Where are there opportunities to express my strengths, passions and personality to meet real needs in the people God has placed on my heart?”.  Think about your church, your community, your work, your neighborhood.

Just think, in 90 days from today you will be on your way to knowing, showing and growing your God-given brand!

Cheering for you!

Erik

Building An Empowering Culture

The days when church leaders could recruit and retain volunteers with little to no effort are long gone.  Social media is ruling conversations, connections and even church culture.   People have so many options these days when it comes to investing their time and talents.  Research indicates that people want to be part of an opportunity that will truly empower them to reach their full potential for God.  No one wants to fail, especially a volunteer.

The truth is, mobilizing, multiplying and managing volunteers is not a science, rather an art to learn and master.  Why?  Because God created everyone unique.  Just look around. This is why a “one-size” fits all mobilization system and strategy never works.  However, there are some basic “people” principles that every church should consider when looking to build or improve their efforts.  These principles will help you flush out any weak links to ensure people are truly empowered to be all God created them to be.

1) Clarification:: Know were you are going

• Why do we champion volunteerism?
• What are our volunteerism goals?

2) Champion:: Realize people are watching you

• Who is modeling the value of “volunteerism” on our senior team?

3) Collection::  Know what you have

• Where are our volunteer opportunities?

4) Categorization::  Know what fits your culture

• How are our opportunities grouped?

5) Communication:  Make sure you speak their language

• How do we share our opportunities?

6) Connection::  Make it personal

• How do we follow-up and connect with each person?

7) Cultivation::  Empower them to be all God created them to be

• How are we equipping our volunteers for successful service?

Commission::  Release leaders to lead

• How are we empowering new leaders and ideas?

9) Celebration::  Cheer for them constantly

• How are we affirming our leaders and volunteers?

10) Correction::  Be willing to ask the tough questions of everyone

• How are we evaluating success?

If you need any help building an empowering church culture let’s connect.  I would love to come visit and discuss these principles with your leadership team. My email is erik@churchsolutionsgroup.com.

Best,

Erik

Love What You Do…Do What You Love!

My wife stared at me from across our kitchen island. I knew she expected me to say something in reply to what she had just unloaded. I prayed for the right words.

“I’m just a mom,” she’d said. “I really don’t have much to offer at this season of my life, Erik. All I do is clean, cook, and shuttle kids from one activity to another. It is a twenty-four hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week assignment. There’s little time to rest and less time to think about fulfilling my special purpose from God.”

It was the end of a busy day—and she was nearing the end of her rope. By now I knew she didn’t need a strategic plan from me; what she needed and wanted was a sensitive ear and heart.

We took a piece of paper and wrote down ten things she loved to do: coach, inspire, run, counsel, encourage, listen, help, read, provide, and organize.

Then we looked at her current commitments, to see where these awesome abilities could be put to use at this time in her life for God. Every morning at 5:30 she exercised with a group of women—a perfect opportunity to coach, inspire, and encourage others. Then there were the women in our small group at church. They needed her gifts too. Her ability to organize and help could be used to orchestrate the annual pastor’s wives retreat and quarterly gatherings.

By evening’s end, she’d begun to see that God could use her natural abilities during any and every season of her life. All she needed was to be available and aware. It didn’t matter whether what she did was noticed by others. That is never the point of serving God. Willing hearts are his delight.

The point isn’t whether what she’s doing right now is her ultimate Kingdom Purpose, which it very well could be. The truth is, motherhood is a big deal.

But my wife, like many women today, simply wanted to do more for God. By making these little deposits of love into others lives, she is paying into her account for God. As someone once profoundly stated, “The difference between an ordinary day and an extraordinary day is not so much what you do, but who you do it for.”

Maybe this season in your life doesn’t include being a parent, but you’re still wondering how you can use your natural God-given abilities to bring glory to his name. More often than not, we enjoy doing the things we do well. Rick Warren writes: “The abilities you do have are a strong indication of what God wants you to do with your life. They are clues to knowing God’s will for you.… God doesn’t waste abilities; he matches our calling and our capabilities.”

Take a few moments to think about what you love doing, the tasks you feel confident performing. This review will help you discover the specific ways you can make deposits of love through serving. God wants one fact to hit home with us: he “has given each of us the ability to do certain things well” (Romans 12:6a, NLT). Like my wife and millions of others, you too excel at doing certain things.

Throughout your life, you discover things you naturally love to do. That also means there are certain things you can live without doing. The things you enjoy doing make work more like play. When opportunities to do those things arise, they trigger an energized anticipation to get started. It doesn’t seem tiring or time-consuming. People in your life may even comment that what you do seems effortless because of the ease and the sense of joy that’s evident when you do it.

Bottom line…love what you do…do what you love!

Cheering for you!

Erik

The Surrendered Life = The Significant Life

We hear a lot of talk about living a significant life, as if it’s something on the other side of the fence that we must work toward, the ultimate goal. But I would argue that we can live a significant life every day—once we understand God’s equation: the surrendered life = the significant life.

Let’s take a look at what God promises to those who choose the surrendered life, as opposed to continuing in a self-centered life. These are the wonderful benefits of allowing God to live at the center of our lives:

Purpose for Living – As God prepared Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand that he release the nation of Israel from their Egyptian captivity, he said: “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16). You and I may not be called to lead a nation, but we all have the purpose of showing God’s power through our lives so that his name will be glorified through us.

Paul tells us, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Beyond showing God’s power to the world through our lives, discovering our purpose allows us to see what God created us to do.

But discovering God’s purpose for our lives is impossible unless we first surrender to him our dreams, our hopes, our plans, and our ambitions. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

God desires to show you the specific purpose he put you on earth to accomplish. That’s great news!

Peace of Mind – Almost since time began, mankind has been on a quest for peace. Our world is continually in conflict, yet somewhere in our hearts, we know this is not how it should be. We talk about peace, we put “Visualize world peace” bumper stickers on our car, and at Christmastime we sing songs about peace on earth. So why is peace so elusive?

Jesus promised his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). This world may never have peace; but you can know the peace of God in your life. Surrender to him your troubled heart, your confusion, and your conflicts, and watch his peace take over.

Is peace of mind something you long for? If so, keep reading!

Perspective for Living – Have you ever noticed that people tend to line up on one side of an issue or the other? Jesus sees all sides—better yet, he knows what is true and what is false. In Christ we can finally know genuine right thinking. He helps us to see life as it really is.

We must be willing to see life through Jesus’ eyes. In order to do that, we must be willing to surrender our old ideas and consider his radical call to righteous living. The Bible says, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT).

One of the coolest benefits of giving God center place in our lives is his daily guidance. When God is truly the pilot of our lives, he grants us guidance for living. This guidance comes in the form of perspective. Situations in life that never made sense, now we begin to understand.

Power to Persevere – As a pastor I work with many people who want a quick fix. They want to meet with me once and be done. They want the confusion and chaos in their lives to be replaced with clarity and confidence, but they don’t want to take the time that requires. This is another reason why we are spending twenty-one days together. I don’t want you to give up. More importantly, I have discovered in my walk with God that he does not want me to ever give up. Tap into his power and persevere through the times of stress, pain, and difficulty. God does not promise us a pain-free life, but he does promise us the power to finish life faithful and fulfilled.

Plan to Live Out – None of us has a crystal ball, and if we did, we might be sorry to see some of the trouble coming our way. But no matter what tomorrow holds, we can be confident in God. “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). This does not absolve us from responsibility for making our own plans, but it does allow us to surrender the outcome of those plans to God, trusting that whatever happens, we are safe in his hands.

Cheering for you!

Erik

Maximize Your Moment!

“Just think, you’re not here not by chance, but by God’s choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else—you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.” Roy Lessin

Don’t waste your life.

“That little girl made a difference in my life,” the man said as he wiped tears from his eyes. He was filing out of a funeral service I’d just conducted for an infant, the daughter of his friends. We shared only a few words, but I’ll never forget what else he said: “Make your life count too.”

 Lea’s life, from start to finish, had only been four months long.

Out in the parking lot, I climbed into my car to head home. I remember the sun’s rays striking my cheek with intensity. I put the key in the ignition, but for some reason I didn’t start the car. Those four short words echoed in my mind: “Make your life count.” I must have repeated them thirty or forty times as I sat in my car reflecting on my life.

Was I making my life count? Who would say I’d made an impact on them? Was I living in such a way that the sum of my life really counted? Or was I just wasting my life? How could a four-month-old have made such an impact on others when her life was over before it had really even gotten started?

In the stillness of that moment, I asked God to forgive me for the times I hadn’t lived solely for him. I pleaded earnestly for the strength and wisdom to make every moment from that day forward count for him. The Bible says, “A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” (Ecclesiastes 7:4 NLT).

I’m not someone who dwells on death, but I fully realize that I’ve got only one shot at making sure my life counts. And so do you.

You have ONE Life…

The truth of the matter is, you and I each have only one life to live, one “moment” on earth. That moment may last more than eighty years or, as with Lea, it may span only a few months. Whatever time God grants us on earth is our moment—and it’s fleeting. The Bible says, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us spend them as we should” (Psalm 90:12 TLB).

From the beginning God has allowed us to decide how we will use the life he has given us. Some people operate on cruise control, taking things as they come. Others consume their moment, striving to gain everything they can. They live by the motto, “He who dies with the most stuff wins.” Still others make the most of their moment by contributing to the world around them. These are the people who focus on leaving the world better than they found it. Their motto is, “He who dies with the most changed lives wins.”

Lea hadn’t even developed the ability to talk, yet she could make all your worries disappear simply by looking into your eyes. I had experienced this phenomenon myself, two months earlier, at her baby dedication. Lea made a difference in my life too. And I knew that when Lea entered the presence of her loving, heavenly Father, she heard him say, “Well done.” Those are the same words I long to hear God say about my life. Don’t you?

As I continued to reflect on my life from my car, I pulled out my journal and started to write about this experience. I thought about what would matter one hundred years from now, and I realized that not much of this material life would—not what type of car I drove, what size house I lived in, what title I had, how much money was in my bank account, or how I looked. But by deciding to make my life count for Christ, I could leave the world a better place than when I had entered it. On the drive home, I thanked God for using Lea’s life to recalibrate mine.

What about you? Are you living a life that makes God the hero and you his helper? How is your life going to count?

We all leave a trail behind us on earth. It may evaporate quickly, like the trail of a shooting star, or we may leave a lasting heritage. What will your legacy look like? Will you allow God to use your one and only life to make a difference for him? Will you live your life intentionally, every day, for God? Will you redirect, focus, and maximize all he has given you for his glory? Will you follow Paul’s example: “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24)?

The apostle Paul knew the time was coming when God would review his life. He knew he had a lot in his past to make up for, and he longed to live out the rest of his days in such a way that God would be both pleased and glorified.

 The Bible says this day will also come for you and me: “Each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

 Why not let God recalibrate your life too?

Cheering for you!

Erik

Beware! Spiritual Gift Traps Ahead

4 Common Spiritual Gift Traps

In his book, Why You Can’t Be Anything You Want To Be, Arthur F. Miller Jr. talks about the danger of misusing what God has given us. “The dark side of giftedness means inflating its payoff beyond its intention until it has assumed the place of God.”

Miller goes on to say, “Unchecked, giftedness is powerful enough to subvert entire systems to the darker purposes of the human heart. This is the real source of systemic evil.” Don’t fall into this trap. Rather, let love empower your gifts for the blessing of others and building up of the body of Christ.

Indeed, as you start to bless others through your spiritual gifts, you need to be aware of four common traps Satan often uses to trip up believers and make them ineffective.

Trap #1: Comparison: The first pitfall is comparison. This happens when we place greater value on the more visible gifts—those more likely to shine in the spotlight, such as leadership or teaching. If we have those gifts and compare ourselves with others, the result can be a prideful spirit. If we compare ourselves to others who have more visible gifts, we may feel we lack significance. Both are signs that our hearts need a serious love tune-up. Just because a gift is more visible does not guarantee it’s more valuable.

Evangelism is an area of giftedness that often invites comparison. People with this gift have the ability to bring many people to faith in Christ. Believers who do not have this gift may feel inadequate by comparison. I am a case in point. My best friend clearly has the gift of evangelism and regularly shares stories of how he is using it to bring others into the family of God. Because my “numbers” weren’t as high as my friend’s, I believed I was letting God down.

Eventually, I realized I didn’t have the specific gift of evangelism. I learned I needed to continue using my gift of encouragement as a way to reach out and help people find God. If I had ignored my own spiritual gift because I saw it as unimportant compared to my friend’s gift, I would have made myself unavailable to God—and missed out on the Kingdom Purpose he had prepared for me.

There are no second-rate masterpieces hanging in God’s art gallery. Some roles may be less glamorous than others, and self-glorifying people may sniff in disdain at certain kinds of service, but God’s Word says all the parts of the body of Christ depend on each other: “The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary” (1 Corinthians 12:21–22, NLT). None of us should delude ourselves into thinking that the other members of the body of Christ exist to serve us, or that others are important and we are not.

Trap #2: Projection:  The second trap is projection. When we expect others to be good at the same things we excel at, we’re “projecting” our gifts onto them. Projection is especially common in relationships at work, or even at home. For example, I have the gift of administration. If I project that gift onto others and automatically expect them to be organized and punctual at all times, feelings of frustration and resentment can set in and cause the relationship to become strained.

That is exactly what Satan wants. On the other hand, I can choose to celebrate the unique gifts God gives to others and encourage each person to be who God created them to be—which is exactly what God wants.

Trap #3: Rejection:  Another common pitfall we encounter is refusing to accept the gifts God has given us. This is the trap of rejection. I see this more often when working with people who clearly have the gift of pastoring or shepherding, but won’t acknowledge it, often because they don’t have the “right” title or official position.

My chiropractor Jeff once said to me, “I’m not a pastor like you, so I can’t have the gift of pastoring.” Because he felt inadequate, he accepted his lack of position as evidence of a fact—but that “fact” was, in fact, not a fact at all. Rejection is one of Satan’s favorite mind games, because it keeps us from becoming all God has planned for us. Jeff needed to embrace the truth of his giftedness given by God. A few months after our conversation, I saw Jeff after a weekend service and his face glowed with joy. He had taken a step of faith and, with his wife, began leading a small group at his home. He loved the opportunity to encourage, counsel, help, and pray with the ten people in his group. He had finally accepted the fact that he had the gift of pastoring and didn’t need the title of pastor to express it.

Allowing someone else’s opinion to stop you from seizing and sharing your gifts will create nothing but disappointment and sorrow in your heart. Give yourself permission to be who God gifted you to be, regardless of what others have said.

Trap #4: Deception – The final trap Satan uses is deception. He manipulates you into believing you have certain gifts that God in fact has not given you—distracting you from putting your true gifts into effect and preventing you from accomplishing what God intended for your life. This deception especially plays itself out when it comes to leadership. John Maxwell has said, “If you think you are a leader, but no one is following you—you are just taking a walk.” People like that often expect results that will be blessed by God, yet God never meant for them to be a leader—at least not in the way they imagine.

Be wary of Satan’s deception as you begin to share the gifts God has given you. Focus on God so he can reveal the spiritual gifts he has for you and show you how he wants you to use them for his glory. An excellent way to ensure that you don’t fall prey to one of these traps is to ask trustworthy people in your life for help and accountability.

Cheering for you!

Erik

Servant Minded

Servant Minded: Using Your Mind to Think Like a Servant!

Servanthood starts by thinking like a servant. Scripture tells us that a servant thinks only about the approval of his or her master. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24). I know that is totally countercultural, but you and I must live for an audience of one.

The Good Samaritan thought about the needs of others before dwelling on his own needs. I once heard it said, “The body never goes where the mind has never been.” If your mind is set on serving others, then you will act on that purpose. There is no way the Good Samaritan would have responded to this person in need if he had not thought beforehand about the importance of serving others. His first step toward the man in need was taken in his mind.

Thinking like a servant also provides the strength the servant needs to be content with his life, without having to compare himself with others—and being overcome with the pride or pity that inevitably results. By tempting you to get out your spiritual yardstick, Satan will trick you into getting your mind off Jesus and onto your own concerns.

Martin Luther King Jr. encouraged us to see whatever God hands us as our contribution and calling. No matter what role he puts us in, our responsibility to the Father is to bring him pride as we do it. King said, “If a man is called to be a street-sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street-sweeper who did his job well.’”

Comparison, whether out of pride or embarrassment, will not help us keep our minds servant-focused. Acceptance will.