What a performance!

At church last Sunday, the preacher said the following statement: 

"The gifts and talents we have; what we can do - these are the currency of the world.  The currency of the church is the love of God. "

It got me thinking.  Really how often to we look to our own performance in things relating to Spiritual matters?  Sometimes that looks like doing all the right things. Sometimes, it means not doing all the wrong things.  Sometimes it means making sure everyone knows what you're doing! 

Whatever it looks like, when it doesn't turn out like you expect, it ends up in the attitude of "Why not me Lord". 

What I mean by that is, when someone else get's promoted over us in church, we say "Well!  I've done XY & Z for 20 years!  That person walked in here and was given that job! It should have been mine!"  Maybe it's about healing... "Why wasn't I healed - I fasted, I prayed, I did it all...."

The truth is, if we're being honest, we find it hard to shake the mindset of the world, which is self-effort = advancement/benefit.   We learn this all the way through life, don't we?  At school, study hard, behave well, do the right thing and you'll get good grades, get into the next educational establishment and get on the courses you want.   Then we get to work and if we work hard, work extra hours, and just keep performing, and we'll get pay rises, promotions, titles, benefits and so on.  Even if you're a stay at home mum, there's lots of ways you're expected to perform!

But things are different in the spiritual realm.   In 1 Samuel 16:7 God tells the prophet Samuel not to look at the outward appearance of the sons of Jessie when selecting the future King..  He tells Samuel that it is not the outside that he's looking for - God's looking at the inside! 

In God's Kingdom, it is always about why we do something, rather than what we are doing.   People can be doing all the right things, but if their heart isn't right, it's worth nothing. 

Even Jesus said:

 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you...." 
Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

Probably the only area in life where performance isn't the be all and end all, is in the Spiritual world!  

Yes, God has given you gifts and talents, and you're supposed to use them for his glory, but the bottom line is, if you don't do it with the right heart, in relationship with Jesus, it's just a performance!  It's not real, it has no value.  

Relying on performance is not only bad when you think you're 'all that' but it can also be an issue for those who think they are not good enough.   If you're a person who things you're no good based on your performance, you will live life below what God has in mind for you.  It's not about what you can DO, it's about what you can BELIEVE!

When our hearts are right and we are in Christ, then we can do amazing things regardless of our ability!  Look at the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11) none of them were what the world would call talented, gifted or exceptional and yet they slew giants,  survived fiery furnaces, slept unharmed with lions, had babies when they were 'as good as dead' and defeated trained armies when the odds were against them (but God was with them).

Today, my challenge to you is don't think about your own ability.  Don't look at your own performance, to determine what you can or can't do. Dream big, because with God, nothing is impossible!