How come mine doesn't look like that?

If we're honest with ourselves, every once in awhile we do it.

We compare our ministry to another ministry.

In our hearts we know this is futile. And we may never publicly acknowledge but those thoughts do run across our mind. Sometimes we'll quickly dismiss them or depending on what's going on with us and/or the ministry, we'll entertain them.

Dear friends of ours planted a ministry close to the same time we did nearly four years ago. And let me tell you their ministry has grown and God has blessed them. They were able to build out an office warehouse in nine weeks with 15 people. They have everything we would say makes church, church: praise and worship singers, praise dancers, musicians, padded church chairs, a beautifully decorated sanctuary, classrooms, offices, a fellowship hall -- it's all there. And the power of God moves, the worship is insane and the Word of God flows! I love going to visit!

And as much as I love my friend there were times I would ask God, "So what's like going on God?"

"How come it worked like that over there and not over here?"

One sure way to annoy God is to question how He is running his business. It's like the backseat driver telling the driver which way he should have gone.

I remember God asking, "Can I do something you've never seen before?"

"Well, OK God," was my response.

Then sometime later God reminded me once again that my husband and I gave Him permission to do what He wanted to do in His house. So when it started shaping up into something that I didn't recognize as "church" that's when He said think more "First Church."

But part of me wanted to be like my friend's church. Where was our building? When were the musicians coming? When were the singers coming? Because to me that equaled success. And I wanted to use that same measure for our ministry and it would frustrate me that in my eyes we did not measure up.

But that's not what God was saying about us.

We have to be careful on how we're measuring success because it is not based on what you see; but on the leaders obedience. Success is going to be different for each leader and each ministry.

And for a short season we tried to do church as usual . . . all kinds of programs and events; it didn't work.

How silly was I for questioning His design plan for the ministry He had entrusted to us?

When I came to grips that this was going to be something different, I abandoned my ideas of what made a church successful and chose to be obedient. A Kingdom mentality really settled within me and I realized that this was much bigger than me. It was bigger than the ministry. We were functioning parts of the body and we needed to do what we were called to do.

Today the ministry is successful because my husband and I are obedient to what God says regarding this house. The people of God benefit because we're not trying to do church like anybody else.

So beloved whether you are overseeing 10 or ten thousand, having worship in your home, in a store front, in a hotel or beautifully decorated sanctuary; be obedient to what God has said to you and your success is guaranteed.

And know that success will look different for each; and that's OK.

To continue to compare yourself to another and use a measure not designed for you will only frustrate you and keep you from your purpose.

The sheep God has entrusted to you need you to be obedient. They need the unique thing God has placed in you.

Keep pressing beloved!

You're in my prayers,

Pastor Lisa