Author Pat Morley makes a profound yet simple statement in chapter 4. “Significance is not possible unless what we do contributes to the welfare of others.”
However, he states that in our search for significance as men, we’ve perhaps chased personal fulfillment in that pursuit of significance. But the only way to live a life of significance is to be important to others and impact their lives. It’s a twisted drug that we have swallowed to think that personal fulfillment can give us significance.
So what are we to do men? There is a statement in philosophy that goes something like this: “The most valuable things in life are worthless.” If you think that through to its logical end, you will find it is absolutely true. The supreme end of satisfaction is emptying ourselves and giving ourselves away. So how much significance and how much satisfaction did Christ get from what he gave? He was eternally satisfied and exalted to a place of utmost significance in the history of mankind.
If we can take a page from that book and apply it to our lives, we will see that we begin to gain significance and satisfaction as we give ourselves away.
So take the author’s significance test: “Does what I am about to do contribute to the welfare of others in a demonstration of faith, love, obedience, and service to Christ?”
Man In The Mirror is a book by Patrick Morley. Follow along with Pastor Gabe Moore and the men of Calvary Assembly of God in Crystal Lake, IL as we read through this book together and discuss some of topics facing men today.
The significance test question is a straight forward, hard hitter. If I and we were to seriously ask that question about what we do each day and surrender to the conclusion, it is quite certain we would make many different choices and have different attitudes than we would otherwise.
Hey Guys, I have read chapters 5 and 6. If you haven’t read them yet, I would encourage you to do so. They are good stuff, which really get the first part of the book to gel. Josh and Erik, if you would like to work together with me on the life purpose statement in chapter 5, it is something we could chew on together and provide for support each other. No matter where you are at right now, I think this seemingly silly life purpose statement is not really silly, but could really help bring some clarifying and satisfying focus to each day and year. For me for many years, three words have been my operating words in life: availability, service, and humility. That is, these are what I try to improve upon – making myself available to God and people, serving God and serving God by serving people, and humbling myself before God and humbling myself before people. I say this not as some holier than thou, but it is what I have distilled from the Bible over the years as key characteristics of the heros, if you will, of the Bible. Anyway, I’d love to work with some of you guys to crystallize our purposes together, if you are willing.