Exponential: Ordinary Reach
I remember it like it was yesterday…I walked into my 3rd Grade Teacher Mrs. Harmon’s class and say the only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the “extra”! That was a pivotal year for me and honestly that phrase has resonated with me throughout my life! Here’s the thing though…in my mindset of extraordinary I often beat myself up because I don’t feel that the ordinary is making a difference. One of the most freeing things a relationship with Christ has given me is that I just have to be me & trust Jesus to do what only He can do! He alone can take the ordinary and turn it into Extraordinary! So, what does our ordinary do in us?
- Develops Our CALLING (Acts 4:1-4)
- It’s easy for us to look at the religious leaders and see they weren’t living out their calling! Jesus has just risen from the dead, the Church is starting to grow and all of the power they had been promised is slipping away from these fishermen who just proclaimed Jesus name to a lame man to help him walk! Often our ordinary day in day out can leave us feeling as if we have not accomplished anything…but our calling is what makes every moment worth fighting for! When you find the very thing you were made to do (as Peter and John does) it’s impossible not to live it out! The Religious leaders are stuck in the Power of Position…Peter and John are stuck in living out their calling!
- Develops Our CHARACTER (Acts 4:5-12)
- Peter and John are standing there in front of the Religious Elite of the day! This is a scene they would have both known…the very scene Jesus walked through on His way to the Cross! This is a true test of character for Peter and John! Will they still claim Jesus name or will they stop? In the midst of our ordinary day the memories of an unpleasant outcome of our past can be a stumbling block for us to make an impact in the future! We often think…it’s just getting to work on time, what difference does it make? The difference it makes is the consistency of your character to yourself and those around you! When you have consistent character (though it seems ordinary) you will be surprised how much of an exponential impact that makes on the Christian and Non-Christian!
- Develops our CONNECTIONS (Acts 3:13-22)
- Peter and John are standing in front of the Religious people, who are looking to keep them quiet, and the people who witnessed this miracle are praising God for who He is! So, the people that Peter and John are trying to reach are actually reached by them when they aren’t in front of them! Their ordinary day to pray turned into the Church almost doubling! How many times was the connection not made with the lame man? How many times were the connections not fully realized from Peter and John…yet on this ordinary day there were many added to the Church & many rejoice God!
When we understand that our “ordinary” is something that can accumulate into Connections that build the Kingdom of God it’s easier for us to see that our ordinary has more impact than we think! When we see that God works through the ordinary to bring about the exponential it makes us see that every second, every interaction matters for Eternity! We may never show up on a list, or have our own Wikipedia page…but the “ordinary days” we live out will make a larger impact than the position of those pages any day!
Take Away
How do you typically respond when you are passionate about something?
What seems the most ordinary to you? Calling? Character? Connection? How is God using that to work the exponential in your life? Which seems to not be working at all?
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Tyler West 