Latest / The Daily Word / April 10 – Stay in Your God-Given Lane
Transcript
- Cory Barnes: Well, hello, it is Friday, April 10th. It is Pastor Jenny here. And as we continue our endeavor together as a church family, or perhaps you're just joining us in our Daily Word podcast, we are following along in the Life Journal together, reading the Word together. And so today's reading comes out of 2 Corinthians chapter 10. And I'm excited to share with you this morning. what the Lord is highlighting for me, whispering to me. I hope it's an encouragement to you today. So I'm going to read to you ⁓ verses 12 through 18. So six verses today. It says this, ⁓ Paul speaking, of course, and he says, not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves, but when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, They are without understanding. So just gonna pause for a second. Have ever found yourself comparing yourself to someone else? I'm sure you've never done that. Of course we do that, we all do that. ⁓ We live in a culture of comparison, competition. ⁓ It's not always a bad thing, but depending on what we're doing, it's important in a lot of areas that we don't compare ourselves one to another. and Paul's talking here and ⁓ he's saying it's important not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who are actually boasting in themselves. He recognized that there were some people in their ministry who were basically tooting their own horn and saying, look at me, look at what I'm doing. And Paul was saying, that's not what I'm doing here. ⁓ And in fact, some were even measuring their success, not by what God had called them to do, but they were measuring their success in life, in ministry, ⁓ based on what each other was doing. So maybe it was by how many people they had led to Jesus, how many baptisms had taken place. So maybe you found yourself comparing your walk with the Lord based on how others are walking with the Lord. And Paul was saying in the scripture, ⁓ he's not doing that and he's going to encourage us not to do that. So let's keep reading. In verse 13, he says, but we will not boast beyond limits, but we will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us to reach even to you. So of course, Paul talking to the Corinthian church, for we are not overextending ourselves as though we did. not reach you, for we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ." So pausing here at the end of verse 14, Paul says it was his mission, his team was to come to the Corinthian church. He did what God had assigned him and his team to do. He's not boasting that, look at him, what a great job they did because it makes him better than someone else that he reached the Corinthian church. know what makes that a good thing is because it was a God thing. God had assigned His team. He had given them that area of influence. I want to remind us that God has given each of us an area of influence. I'm reminded this morning that God has given me a specific area of influence in my neighborhood, in my workplace, in my community. You know, even at our campuses, we have our Gastonia location, our TK, our Catawba, but on each of those campuses we have people who have worlds and areas of influence that God has given each of us an area of influence. So let's keep reading verse 15. It says this, We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others, but our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you without boasting of work already done in another area of influence. So we're not going around saying, hey, look at the gospel that was preached. We took the gospel to someone else's area of influence and patting ourselves on the back. No, we're excited to build you up in your faith as a church, as pastors and leaders. We're excited to build you up in your faith. so that you can go into your area of influence. And that's the same passion and excitement you yourself should carry. It's not your burden to carry. You shouldn't have the same burden that I carry, that Pastor Gill or Pastor Brandon, Pastor Robert, Pastor Corey carries to teach and feed the sheep at each campus. But you should have a burden for your world, for your area of influence. And as you share the gospel with those in your area of influence, know that As their faith increases, they're going to go beyond and then the gospel will continue to spread. God has commissioned all of us. He has called and commissioned each of us to go on and share his work. And so then as we keep reading two more scriptures, it says verse 17, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. So now we see as we work together, it's not just about us for verse 18. It is not the one who commends himself who is approved. but the one whom the Lord commends. God is calling and commissioning us as we know we just read in Matthew as a church body at the end of March. It is the great co-mission. We are co-laboring on his mission to reach the lost, ⁓ to win souls, to see souls saved and disciples made. It's such an honor. It's so exciting, but we can't get caught up in it being a competition and comparing ourselves one to another. We can't look at someone else's, I'll say, territory and think that that's supposed to be mine and get excited to infringe upon that. ⁓ An example that I think of is, it's really fun to watch our kids growing up in sports and learning the rules of the game. But inevitably, as kids are learning and growing, I always watch as kids on the same team, they're playing offense together. I will watch ⁓ what my kids have done it and I've watched other kids do it, but they'll steal from their teammate. They'll steal the ball and we're like, what are you doing? You're on the same team, same team. And I think sometimes in Christianity, we do that too. It's like this internal competition is created and it's like we wanna We feel like we have to quote unquote, steal from one another. And it's such a lie and deception of the enemy of like, hey, we're on the same team. Why would we want to try and compete for the same people, so to speak, when, hey, there's a big world out there that's full of lost people. Go into your area of influence, build up, ⁓ stir up, cheer up, lift up and encourage those in your area of influence. so. I hope you're stirred up this morning as I was stirred up and reminded that I don't need to compare myself to anyone else. God's called me to an area of influence. ⁓ I'm here called and commissioned to go into my area, my circle of influence. And as I do that, He's not only going to enlarge the circle of my influence, ⁓ because those are going to be growing in their faith that He's called me to, but then they will go into their world. so. It's exciting to see the gospel being spread. So let me pray for you as I pray your faith is increased and that you will know the influence that you have for the gospel of Jesus. Lord, we come before you and we thank you that this isn't our mission, but that this is your mission. And as we come alongside you to partner in the great co-mission to be co-laborers with you, I ask Lord that if there is any part of us ⁓ or that has been. looking through the eyes of a spirit of competition, that Lord, ⁓ if we have felt ⁓ discouraged or less than because we feel like we have to be someone we're not, Lord, would you reveal that? Would you search us? Search my heart? Search our hearts, Lord? And just as Paul said, help us to not classify or compare ourselves. with those that are trying to build themselves up in what they're doing. But Lord, help give us eyes to see the mission that you have called us to, the area of influence, the people you've called us to. Give us eyes to see the people that you see. And Lord, I thank you that as we co-labor with you, ⁓ that we won't boast beyond limits, but we will boast in the area of influence that you've given us and we'll be excited Enlarge our eyes to see, enlarge the territory that you've given us for the world to know that you are God and you are Lord. And so Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit goes before us, that you give us the words to speak, that you're equipping us. And I just speak a holy boldness over all those who are listening today. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.