The Summit Church - Weekend Service

We are not likely to have the same job our entire lives. How do you know the right job or career for you? When do you stay at a job you hate? When you do leave to pursue another job? Coming back to the reason we work and who God created us to be will help us navigate these tough decisions.

Most people never stop to think about why it is we work, really. When we discover this, then we see the real reason God created us, and it's not to work. Embracing our true purpose for living will change how we work.

At The Summit, why do we do what we do the way we do it? Why matters because people matter and what we do is eternally significant. We must never lose sight of the “Why”!

Is it all worth the waiting? The truth is, when we find out what we stand to gain in waiting, we realize that we don't really lose all that much. There is a discovery we must make about how God intends on our waiting to work. When we see it and embrace it, Him, then we discover that it's all well worth the wait.

What are we supposed to be doing while we are waiting on God to do what only He can do? Waiting is not “down-time”; in fact, there is still much for us to do while we wait.

So while we wait on God to do what only He can do, what is He doing? If He is working on our behalf, what is He working on? When we discover how God is working for us it gives us fresh perspective and new energy to continue to wait for Him.

We all would rather not wait, but it seems like we are almost always waiting on something or someone. Waiting on God brings an entirely different set of challenges. But when we discover how God sees waiting, it makes all the difference.

It is simply not enough for us to embrace who God says we are. We must embrace our role as a shaper of the identities of those around us. We must help others know that they are who God says they are, no more, no less, no matter what.

What happens when we mess up so badly that we begin to question our identity? What happens to how God sees us when we disappoint ourself, others and even Him? We must discover that what we do doesn't change who God says we are.

Typically, based on our personalities and experiences, we gravitate towards one of two extremes: either thinking we are less than who God says or thinking we are more than God says we are. Both are dangerous. Both are unnecessary. When we recenter ourselves on who God says we are, we can live in freedom from the extremes.

Our identity is a mixture of how we see ourselves, how we feel others see us, and how God sees us. We put way too much emphasis on the first 2 and not nearly enough on what God thinks. However, it's what He thinks that matters most. After all, He made you. He knows best.

When all “hell” breaks loose inside you, in your mind and heart, it's a whole different kind of battle. Our great God knows and cares about these inner struggles and invites us to come to Him. Instead of carrying it on your own, learn to run to Him for comfort and hope.

Often it's in our relationships where the “hell” seems to be most prevalent. We are quick to look for someone to blame and a way of escape. However, there is a much better way to navigate the turbulent waters of our friendships, marriage, family, and coworkers.

Then there are those times when it's just keeps on coming and problems seem to go from bad to worse. What is God up to in allowing such times? When God is present but feels very absent because of what's happening around us, we discover there is a bigger, much more important, agenda at work within us.

It's only a matter of time until we go through moments, even long periods of time, when “all hell is breaking loose”. No one is exempt. It's in these times when God seems a million miles away; but is He, really?