The Secret to a Life of Impact

Today, I thought I would post an excerpt from Chip Ingram's site- I know there are quite a few pastors and evangelists that read this blog so it is my hope that it will encourage them as well as the lay minister.

The Secret to a Life of Impact - Chip Ingram - www.walkthru.org

"How are you really doing in your ministry?" I asked.

This small gathering of ministry leaders had arrived at a certain
level of transparency, so I was pretty sure I'd get some honest
answers.
After the initial responses about expanding congregations or
audiences, new
products being developed, and opportunities on the
horizon, I pressed
further. ?No, I mean in your relationship with
God, your sense of
connectedness with Him. How's it going??

Every eye seemed to stare at
the floor until a couple of these
leaders looked up and said, with sad
expressions, "Not so well, I
guess."

It's surprising how often that
scene is played out. One of the things
I love about my job at Walk Thru the
Bible is the number of
relationships I'm able to build with key ministry
leaders around the
world - pastors, publishers, broadcasters, and many more.
But
whenever those relationships get deeply personal and honest, this
trend seems to become evident. Ministry is hard, the needs are never-
ending, and very few leaders are able to spend much time alone with
God
- much less enjoy the time they do spend with Him.

Nearly everyone who
entered this field of service did so with a
desire for God to use them in
lasting and powerful ways. So what's
missing? Why, in spite of our
ever-improving technology and
methodology, does this life of impact we hoped
for seem to elude us
so often?

The answer, I believe, is available
to all of us. The secret to a
life of lasting impact is the one thing we
preach often and practice
rarely, mainly because few of us think we have
time for it. And if we
miss it, we can end up being what I call a
?successful failure? -
someone who is doing great things in ministry (or so
it appears), but
who is still lacking what's most important.

Four Great Examples

Four great lives in the
Bible illustrate the principle well. In fact,
you could easily argue that
these four people had more impact than
all others - and that they had it
because they knew this secret.

Consider Moses, for example. He had been
called to great tasks and
had seen God do powerful miracles. A whole nation
depended on him,
and at times he had people lined up for miles to see him.
If ever a
man bore the burdens of leadership, Moses did. Considering the
weight
of responsibility he carried, what would you expect Moses' prayers to
be about?

A conversation in Exodus 33 tells us. ?If You are pleased
with me,
teach me your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor
with
you,? Moses said to God (v. 13).

God then assured Moses that
His presence would go with him.

Moses pressed in further: ?Now show Me
your glory? (v. 18). And God
answered Moses' request.

Do you see
what happened? Moses could have asked for a shorter time
in the wilderness
or an increase in power. But when he got face to
face with God, he asked for
the presence and the glory. His passion
wasn't success, miracles, numbers or
impressing people; it was to
know God. Above all else, Moses wanted favor
and intimacy with the
One Who had called him.

David is another
example. He was a highly successful warrior, a king
who loved his people,
and a popular worship leader and song-writer.
Yet imagine him being
interviewed on a talk show: ?David, you've done
great things, demonstrated
great power, and defeated great enemies.
You've risen to the top. The
Scriptures even say you were a really
good-looking man. You have it all
going for you. What's your secret?
What makes you tick??

His answer?
?One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I
may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze
upon the beauty of the
LORD and to seek Him in His temple? (Psalm
27:4).

Behind the mighty
warrior, the songwriter, the king, this man who
changed the world in his
day; and before all the pressures of
leadership and even in the midst of his
greatest failure; this leader
had a passion to meet with God and know His
heart. Like a thirsty
deer panting for the water in a brook, David's soul
yearned for God
Himself. That was his secret.

Then there's Paul, one
of the greatest intellects of his time.
Schooled by the rabbi Gamaliel, he
was a scholar among scholars, and
arguably the most influential man in the
New Testament apart from
Jesus. In spite of being flogged, shipwrecked, and
imprisoned, he was
mightily used by God. Most of us, if we could have a
ministry with
even one-thousandth the impact of Paul's, would be thrilled
beyond
belief.

What was the secret to Paul's success? Was it his
education or his
pedigree? His methodology? His status? Motives driven by
guilt and
shame, or an obsessive-compulsive personality? No, Paul uses a
word
much stronger than ?garbage? to describe everything in his past, at
least as it compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus
(Philippians 3:7-11). That's what kept him pressing ahead toward the
goal.

Before going on all those mission trips, before writing
profound
letters, before the all-important Jerusalem council meeting - even
before getting out the whiteboard with Barnabas or Silas and planning
his strategy for the next few years - Paul had a greater ambition. He
wasn't simply after more converts and churches, wider distribution of
his letters, and more opportunities to preach to larger audiences.
Everything took a back seat to knowing Jesus.

Jesus, of course, is
our greatest model. He came to earth and
explained the Father, doing amazing
miracles and preaching amazing
messages. The very last night, at the end of
His ministry - the
highest-impact ministry ever - Jesus spent quite a bit of
time
praying. What did He say? ?This is eternal life: that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent? (John
17:3). He didn't focus on His disciples serving God better or
accomplishing greater things. He asked that they would know Him.

As
ministry leaders, we understand the theology; eternal life isn't
just about
getting to heaven. It's about a quality and abundance of
life that comes in
fellowship with God, moment by moment in the holy
of holies. The problem for
most of us is practical, not theological.
The core issue is spending time
with Him, and, beyond that, it's
enjoying the time we spend with Him.

Be a Fan