10's, 50's, and 100's

“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.”

We are those of a Movement of Hope, and we are giving all we have for generations to live the full joys and glories of all Christ provides.  Each step in that direction is evidence of God moving things to a better and better condition in the earth.  Lives improved, families improved, cities improved, and nations improved are displays of His glory and grace. 

God is bringing us into a deeper revelation and further understanding of His rest.  He did not intend for those of His covenant to strive.  Striving produces thorns and thistles that is the revealing of the curse (Gen 3:18-19).  Rest in Jesus is the faith filled life of hope that results in fruit and leaves that heal/make better (Rev 22).

Here are some thoughts to help us see a place of rest provided through Jesus:

He designed us as leaders to tend curtained measures of influences.  As He enables us to see that and live it, we experience a restful place of fulfillment instead of pressured striving.

Moses father-in-law, Jethro, gives Godly insight to Moses that some leaders are called to 10, some 50, some 100's (Ex 18:21).  This speaks to us that not all are called to the same thing or the same “amount”.  When someone called to influence and lead 10’s gets into the pressured striving of trying to lead 100’s, frustration becomes the way of life.  We are to aim for and go after the fullest of what God has given us.   When we are unsatisfied with our lives because we don’t see what the media or our unmet needs project as success, we end up outside His rest and produce thorns and thistles.

We must see that success is not in the numbers or money, but success is in the faithful stewarding of our call.

Jesus told the story, in Matthew 25:14-30, about servants being given different amounts of talents (responsibilities).  Notice again, not all given the same measure.  This lesson from Jesus was that the amount was not the measure of success but tending to the assignment revealed success.  The servant with 2 talents didn’t strive to generate 5.  The servant with 5 talents didn’t strive to generate 10.  They lived in the “grace” given to them and brought forth a full measure.  These servants succeeded in stewarding the assignment they were given.  The one that didn’t steward the assignment was the unsuccessful servant.  As a leader in a Movement of Hope, you can’t get pushed into striving for “more”.  You live in the “rest” of what you have and steward that well so there is glorious results. 

As the 1^st Century Ecclessia was developing, Apostle Paul was lead to a new strategy.  He adjusted from traveling and large group teaching to teaching in a single location with the same handful of people (Acts 19:1-10). Paul taught these 12 in Ephesus and recognized his success wasn’t in the size of the crowd, but it was in the faithful efforts in the assignment.  He didn’t strive to keep some status of fame, notoriety, and being a “highly demanded speaker”.  He was at rest in the grace of each phase of his journey.  From what I can tell, Paul wasn’t aware he was writing Holy Scripture as he wrote letters to those he was influencing.  Those letters became canonized later.  As we are restfully faithful to what we are assigned to, we never know the far reaches of impact we cause.  We get to rest in releasing out of us what we are given and be settled that God will use it as He intends.  If we strive to create the degree of impact, we are taking matters into our own hands as if we are God.  That leads us back to the work of Adam and the result being thorns.  Because Apostle Paul moved in what was needed in each moment and didn’t strive to stay within a certain paradigm of perceived success, he found the place of being content/at rest (Phil 4:11).  We all know the magnitude of Paul’s impact now because he carried out the call without attention to numbers or notoriety.  We see from Paul the reality of needing to use the right measuring device to indicate his success (more on that later).

As a leader in a Movement of Hope, you can’t get pushed into striving for “more”. 

We are often thrown out of rest and step into striving as we give into the pressure for more and being something outside who we're called to be.  There can seem like a constant demand for more. Do more, reach more, build more, make more, get more people, get more known by more people, etc. But what if the calling is to 10 or 50?  What if your highest impact is only in the ones of your family? What if you're called to lead only a few? What if your business isn't huge or the #1 in its field? What if it’s not called to be? What if your congregation only has 25, forever?  What if your name is never in lights and you are never celebrated?  What if you are called to 10,000’s?  Does that make you more of a success than someone called to 10?  If called to 10,000 then steward that call well and live in rest.  Don’t strive for 100,000.  If called to 10, then steward that call well and live in rest.  Don’t strive for 100’s. 

This challenge to rest in what Jesus has given you isn’t about being lazy or living something less than what God has given you. This is about living to the fullest of your calling which may be 10 or 50 or 100’s. Can you live in rest as you giving your all for His glory in that capacity, or will you fight back against His design and strive to do something "more"?

From where do you gain your sense of success?

These questions push us to consider the measuring stick we are using to see if what we are building is on point and successful. From where do you gain your sense of success? Where do you look to gauge your impact? What must things be like to know you've hit the mark? If 10 is your call, live that to the fullest! If 50, find your heart overwhelmingly thrilled to rock that assignment! Stop living in the pressure of "more", and live in the rest of fulfillment.

The quote at the top about living gladly (in rest) to cause others to be glad in God is a powerful statement to use as you measure your success.  Lead all those you are to influence to be glad in God and rest in whatever amount God has given you to lead.  Rest!