Whose agenda are you pursuing?

I remember morning after morning after morning lying flat out on the floor at the front of the Mason UMC praying for vision and wisdom.  I needed to seek God and find out specifically how I was supposed to lead that church, and then keep seeking updates.  As the pastor my job is certainly multifaceted, but among the most important jobs is to be a visionary (and as Ginghamsburg pastor Mike Slaughter says ‘dreamer’) for the local congregation and community that God has sent me to lead.  It’s really scary how much influence the pastor has in the local church and if I/they don’t seek God and His will, we end up pushing our own agendas.

I am reminded of Revelation 2 when John writes to the church at Ephesus and tells them they have left their first love and they need to get back to that first love.  John writes that while they have been very busy, their devotion to Jesus is missing.  It’s as if he is saying they have been pursuing their own agendas, or at least not doing the works for the glory of and love for Jesus.

So here I am, finding myself back at the beginning on the floor morning after morning, seeking and yearning to find out from God what He is going to do here so I can lead Wesley Chapel UMC to be an integral part of it.  I don’t yet know what it is, but I can tell you it will be exciting, it will take the church and me out of our comfort zones, and it will glorify Jesus.

As for you, is God calling you back to something?  Back to His Word?  Back to church?  Back to prayer?  Back to fasting?  The best way forward is always going back to Jesus.  His agenda is the only one worth pursuing.