Good people doing good works in the world is not enough to fully accomplish what God wants done. God seeks to reveal Himself in majesty and truth in our generation—and to do so through us.
Bruce Wilkinson
My wife and I go on a date once a month. Between my hectic schedule and all of Kelley’s responsibilities, it can be hard to pin a night down, but twosome time is a priority so we do whatever needs to be done to get date nights on the calendar. Sometimes we keep our dates low-key (think pizza and a movie, maybe even on the couch at home), but sometimes we take things up a notch and go to a new play or a trendy restaurant. Whatever we have planned, I am a stickler about ensuring that the details are in order and that everything is set up to go exactly like we want.
For one of our recent date nights, I made a reservation at a restaurant in town that was, apparently, the hot new place. A few of our friends had been there and raved about it. Thanks to all the hype, I had to make reservations three weeks in advance to get a table. When the night came, Kelley and I got dressed up, dropped our son off at a friend’s house, and headed downtown. I was impressed as soon as we pulled up to the restaurant. The building was gorgeous. The ambiance inside was warm and inviting. The aromas swirling around were unbelievable. As the hostess led us past a jazz quartet to our table, I just knew that this would be a great night—a perfect night. That is, until our waiter approached the table.
As soon as Henry (I know his name thanks only to his name tag) walked up, the mood began to crumble. With no greeting and no eye contact, he pulled out his notepad and grunted, “Do you know what you want?” A little taken aback, I said, “Um, no, we actually just sat down. I think we need . . .” Before I could finish my sentence, Henry shoved his notepad back into his pocket and walked away.
Now, I can dismiss such behavior at a dive or a diner, but this place was neither of those things. Not by a long shot. This restaurant was meant to be an experience—the kind of place where you spend time with the menu, ask questions of the waiter, and make sure you choose the perfect dish. It’s the kind of place where you linger over your appetizer before the meal comes and linger over your meal before dessert. You get the picture. To say that Henry’s attitude did not match the atmosphere is an understatement. He was our server for the evening, but I knew immediately he had zero interest in serving us.
Still, all things work together for good. Even though Henry’s service didn’t get any better throughout the meal, his attitude led Kelley and me to an interesting conversation. We found ourselves talking about the idea of living and serving in a way that makes the gospel of Jesus appealing to those who don’t believe in him. In today’s world, where faith is a buzzword and moral relativism reigns, how do we let people know that our inherent joy and the good things we do are a reflection of God’s love and excellence, and not just a result of us being nice people? (I love these kinds of discussions with my wife.)
This particular date night happened to be around the time that I was beginning to uncover and understand the power of The Greatness Principle. In my study I had been digging into the truth that, as Christ followers—and therefore as his representatives in the world—our call is to live with his attitude and then to intentionally reflect any credit or praise that comes our way back to God. With that in mind, Kelley and I made a decision to serve Henry in a very practical way. Even though logic would suggest that he didn’t deserve to be blessed with an unusually gracious tip, we decided to give him one anyway—and to take the opportunity to deliberately tie our giving back to God.
At the end of our meal, Henry ran my credit card and brought the receipt back to the table. Instead of including his tip on the receipt, I wanted to give him cash, so that I would have the chance to put it right in his hand. I pulled an amount that would be considered significant even for good service out of my wallet and waited until he came back to the table to pick up the receipt. Now, you may think that since I am a pastor, bringing up God is always an easy thing to do. You would be wrong. I was a little nervous about what I was going to say to Henry.
As I saw him walking back toward us, I had a decision to make. I could either hand him the money with a simple word of thanks and let him think I was a great guy, or I could tell him I was giving him the tip as an outward, tangible sign of God’s goodness and love toward him. In other words, I could keep quiet and take the credit for myself, or I could focus the attention toward God.
Well, even though it was slightly intimidating, I handed Henry the money and said, “Thank you, Henry. I want to bless you with this tip as a practical expression of God’s love for you. My wife and I appreciate your service tonight.” In keeping with character, Henry grunted a thank-you and walked away without looking at the amount in his hand. But that was okay. I had done what I should, and I knew he would be touched by it.
Be a Mirror
Jesus, the greatest example of a servant ever to walk the earth, blessed people in a multitude of ways—bigger and more extravagant ways than we will ever be able to do. He provided for the needy; he healed sick people; he brought dead people back to life; ultimately, he laid down his own life for us on the cross. But throughout his earthly ministry and even in his crucifixion, Jesus made clear that the motive behind every single thing he did was to bring glory to his Father in heaven. He had no interest in winning accolades for himself. In fact, once, when the people around him were questioning his intentions, Jesus said as clearly as possible, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me” (John 8:54).
When you begin living out The Greatness Principle by blessing the people in your world, onlookers will inevitably give you credit for the good you are doing. You’ll get pats on the back and words of praise. That’s when you will have a choice to make, just like the one I had to make with Henry. You can either focus the attention coming your way back toward God, or you can keep quiet and accept the acclaim.
Before you are tempted to take the path of least resistance and hold on to that credit, pay close attention to what Jesus has to say about the two options right on the heels of telling us how to be great:
The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matt. 23:11–12)
If you let people think that you are the source of the good works you are doing, you are, in essence, exalting yourself. Jesus says that you will be humbled. Believe me, humbling yourself is a much better option than being humbled. Not to mention, when you humble yourself, God will exalt you. Don’t you think that God’s exaltation will far outweigh the exaltation you would receive from taking the credit yourself? No question.
Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not suggesting that you embrace some kind of false humility. When you step out of your comfort zone and bless another person, you will have done something great. It’s fine for you to accept thanks. Just be quick to point the attention back to the greatness of the one you are really serving. It’s a good idea to pray a prayer of thanks when we receive praise to acknowledge the one to whom all glory belongs. As the psalmist wrote, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness” (Ps. 115:1). Let your service be a mirror that reflects God’s unfailing love and faithfulness, rather than one that reflects your own image. It’s all for him anyway.
Proper Perspective
In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul wrote:
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Col. 3:23)
How would your attitude toward service be different if you took Paul’s admonition to heart? What if you approached every opportunity to serve as if you were actually serving God instead of another person? Would you be more willing to get involved where you know you should? Would you be more likely to steer clear of halfheartedness and focus on serving with excellence? Would you be quicker to take on a spirit of humility?
I was struck by the truth of Paul’s words early in my career as a pastor. While attending a conference, I took part in a breakout session where I found myself in a room with some discouraged church leaders. These pastors and high-level volunteers told story after story about how they were becoming frustrated in their efforts to serve others. People kept disappointing them; their motives were misunderstood; their long hours and hard work seemed to be to no avail. After listening to about a dozen of these stories, the gentleman leading the conference asked a simple question: “Who are you serving?”
At first the men and women who had been venting didn’t get it. They answered that they were serving their congregations, of course; they were serving the people God had put in their path. The leader told them, “As long as you are working for people, you will end up frustrated, burnt out, and even hurt. But when you stop working for the people in front of you and instead work for God through them, you’ll minister more effectively and find more joy in the process.”
Thanks to that experience, I remind myself every day that the reason I do what I do is to serve God. The same goes for you. When you start seizing opportunities to bless the people in your world, remember that God is the one you are really working for. That simple adjustment in your perspective will make it much easier to focus any and all attention back toward him.
A Reflection of Excellence
When it comes to bringing God glory, good just isn’t good enough. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul steps up the stakes on his statement about working for God rather than people with “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (emphasis added). Working for God to the glory of God inherently means that you and I are to be excellent in all that we do. When a door opens for you to give someone an immediate blessing, bless him or her with excellence. When God guides you to serve in a particular area, serve with excellence. Approach every opportunity you have to engage another person with the very best that you have to give.
Consider these thoughts from Willow Creek founder Bill Hybels on our imperative to be excellent:
In response to His holiness and greatness, in gratitude for His monumental sacrifice for us, our attitude ought to be to pay tribute to Him with the best we can offer. I’m not talking about obsessive perfectionism but rather an attitude of excellence that permeates all we do. . . . After all, what we do as Christians reflects on the Christ we serve. Inevitably, there’s something about doing a task in a quality fashion that lifts our spirits and makes our souls feel noble. Beyond that, others are inspired. When the bar of performance is raised, everybody is motivated to do their best. And seekers are attracted, because they are accustomed to striving for high standards in the marketplace.[8]
Excellence can be a sliding scale, however, so how do you know when you are achieving it? Let me give you a definition of excellence that I want you to memorize and remind yourself of often: excellence is doing the best you can with what you’ve been given. It’s that simple, yet monumental. Excellence on our part echoes the excellence of our God.
When you consistently do the best you can with what you’ve been given—and connect the attention that your excellence brings back to the God you are serving—you will be reflecting his glory to the world. You’ll be shining, just as Jesus called you to when he said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16 NASB).
How would serving “as if unto the Lord” influence how you serve?
Can you name some specific examples of how you could display this outlook in your own life?