Success in God's EyesSample

Make God Famous

A disciple of Jesus who is Faithful, Fruitful, and Fulfilled is making God Famous. There is no question about that. This last "F" of success, to make God Famous, is the promised result of a life offered to God.

Peter explains the cause-and-effect relationship in this way:

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Peter makes it clear that God has given each of us Gifts that we should use to serve others. In this case, he is talking about Spiritual Gifts. Spiritual Gifts are Supernatural Gifts entrusted to each of us by God. These Spiritual Gifts are one part of what I call The Zone of God's Anointing. The Zone is the sweet spot in your life with the most significant Kingdom impact. At the end of this Plan, I will mention resources that can help you explore The Zone of God's Anointing in more depth, but for now, I'll simply say that living in The Zone is the "cause" that leads to the "effect" of a 4-F life.

In this passage, Peter gives a few examples of how people can use their Spiritual Gifts to serve. In your life, you may serve by greeting people who visit your church with hospitality, cooking meals for the homeless, sharing the gospel with a co-worker, leading a small group, or prayerfully interceding on behalf of a person with cancer. As you serve with the Gifts God has given you, by the Strength God has given you, something amazing happens. What does Peter say will be the result?

The phrase "so that" tells us exactly what the result will be.

"so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

The bottom line isn't that you serve, and people walk away saying, "Wow, he is really good," or "She is so talented." The goal is that as people encounter you serving- being Faithful, Fruitful, and Fulfilled, they will say,

"Wow! Isn't God awesome!"

For the first forty years of my life, I lived in the Chicago area. While I was serving in a church there, I met a young man who was running his own financial investment firm. He had his own way of managing money and was very "successful" in the world's terms. He was making lots and lots of money. One day he reached out to me and said, "Don, I need some help with the financial management of my life. I want to be a good steward of what God is giving me."

He and his wife were young in their faith and wanted help developing a charitable foundation. I sat down with my legal pad and started with what seemed like a simple question. I asked them,

"Why do you want to start a foundation."

I thought they would give one of the normal answers- that they wanted to support the work of God or give back or something like that, but that was not their response. With incredible clarity, they simply said,

"We want to put the generosity of God on display."

I just sat there for a moment. I had never heard an answer quite like that. They went on to say, "In the time we have been Christians, and hanging around other Christians, we have noticed that most people seem to believe God is stingy... or even cheap. That has not been our experience."

"We want to put the generosity of God on display."

Because of the way they answered, and ultimately because of the way they viewed their money, they would go on to give away millions of dollars! That may seem remarkable, but the story gets even better!

Although they gave away millions, they never personally signed any of the checks. Whenever a check was sent out from the foundation they had created, it would be accompanied by a simple letter. The letter read something like this:

"We are sure you appreciate this gift. We want you to understand where it comes from. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth." God gave us the power to make wealth. All we are doing now is taking what God has given us and giving it to you. There is no need to thank us. Please get down on your knees and thank God."

This couple accomplished their goal. They put the generosity of God on display. In accomplishing this goal, they also accomplished the ultimate goal of life—to make God Famous.

At the end of your life, if you have taken what has been entrusted to you and have used it in such a way to make God Famous, you will have the privilege to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" followed up by the amazing invitation, "Come and share your master's happiness!"

Questions for reflection:

What has God put before you today that He is Calling you to steward faithfully?

How are you using your time, talents, and treasure to make God Famous?