8/28/16 Do I have to do everything to be somebody special? by pastor Iryna Mykhaylyk

Very often we hear some people say: “You have to be better than those people, or that person” and even parents are telling their kids “you have to be better than us, you have to be a somebody in this world, not a nobody”. Do you think that is right? I asked God for His opinion about it and what did I find? I found that in the Bible God never tells us: “You have to be better than somebody.” He tells us who its best not to follow but He never tells or asks us to be better than somebody else. In our culture I hear this a lot: “You have to be greater than all mediocre people. They are nobody's, but you have to be a somebody”. And people make their opinion about someone and call them mediocre or average. And very often they don't even know anything about these people's lives.

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​Do you know the word MEDIOCRE?
The dictionary defines Mediocre as average okay, neither very good nor very bad, not good enough. A person who does not have the special ability to do something well. A person of second-rate ability or value. A person with quality of being average or ordinary, with nothing special.
 
Dose God agree with this statements about His creation? Did He make some with special abilities to do something well or good and others He did not bless with it? 
  
Who do you see at sport centers? You see the very best. Right? You see those who are the best. LeBron James, Michael Jordan. They are always on music motivational video. You often see the worst at a sport's center too, to compare them to the best. How often do you see the average? They focus on the best. And very often those who are best, become people's idols. And everybody else becomes a nobody, they are simply there to be made fun of, no matter how hard they try to get better. Is it right? What do you think? I think the answer is no. Because I believe that everyone is special in God’s eyes. These statements show us the opinion of the people, not God. And when we want to achieve something good or the best in our life, its best not to compare ourselves to others. It isn't good to say: “I do not want to be like that person with the name NOBODY, I want to be somebody!” If we do like this, we don't follow God, but our pride and we do everything to make it grow and make other people shrink.

The first and main motivation of achievement in our life has to be the willingness to fulfill what God has for my life. 

We can learn from other people but should never put them in front of God, in first place. I want to please the Lord in everything I do. I am not competing with other people to prove that I am somebody great. God made us to be great and successful but He doesn’t want us to fight with others to be the best. He doesn't want us to fight with ourselves to prove anything either.

We have to do our best but not chase being the best!
 
And also very often the right things to do now are becoming more insignificant to some of us. We tell ourselves we don't want to be someone great, so we don't try being the best for God.
Our first enemies are ourselves, when we don't strive to do our best, which is not what God wants. 

2 Corinthians 12:9
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
 
Considering that we serve the perfect God who perfects His work through us
we have to fight not with mediocre people, we have to fight with everything in our life that stops us from bringing our best to God now in this moment even if it seems its not the best. You can see that offerings and sacrifices without His power are incomplete.  The best thing about this is the requirement to serve God and be used by Him powerfully is not perfection or performance, or experience. You do not have to be the best as matter of fact.

Sometimes God drives on using the unluckiest in order to prove His sovereignty.

Interesting right? The sooner we realize that our perfection or performance has nothing to do with His willingness to use us the easier it is to wholeheartedly serve Him. You can be blessed with God's given abilities by maximizing all of it through training, study, or any practice that moves you forward. When we read all these dedications from what sportsmen do or other successful people we know, does it bring us to the point where we question ourselves? What kind of dedication do I have to do what God told me to do today? God wants us to do our best and you do not need to go back into your past. But you have to make this decision to yourself: “ Yes, I want to be that kind of the person.” You know if this is how it would be, it wouldn't have to be like this. Do you know that? Right? What you know up to now, that is it, it is finished now, it can easily lead you to stop in what God called you to do. You can easily make a decision to not strive for the extra, for the unusual, for something better.
What about Daniel? He set himself apart from everyone else, he was so focused on pleasing His Lord, he even rejected certain food, that can distract him.

Do you know the word Excellence? The quality of being outstanding or extremely good all the time. This is a progressive meaning. 
Not by level of achievement, score, or certain mark of quality.  It is progressive. It gets better every day. Excellence is our best every time, every day it is our best. And tomorrow is my new best, and the next day is my new best. That is what excellence is.

Remember that in our weakness His strength comes. But we have our part to play. And this part is my responsibility to bring my best. And it is not about beating other people's scores or achievements.
If today you do everything not to be as your parents, you can miss important things you can learn from their lives, you are becoming blind to see good in others because you compete. 
God wants my best not because He needs my performance, but He requires my full dedication to what He has called me to do. He wants my whole heart in what I do today in every area of my life. Daniel was selected because of his ability, his talents, his skills and intelligence. He trained hard for three years. And he did this to please God, not any people, not even himself. He did this not to be the best, he did his best for God and God did everything to perfect his best. And he was the best.

Remember God has placed you here. He allowed you to come on this earth. He has a mission for you. You are not here by accident. You are not here because your parents want you to be here. It did not happen by accident. You are here for a purpose and guess who put you here? God!

Daniel was dropped in the Babylonian culture for a specific reason. This was a time when God was not very happy with the king of Judah and probably all of those who ruled. This was a time when he was looking for somebody. He was looking for someone whom He made already and said that he is My best. I don’t want him to prove it, I want him to bring me his best and I will make it perfect. 

There must be consecration. We must set ourselves apart, we must walk a different path. Daniel separated himself from the common practice.

Daniel 1:8
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
He did not stop praying to God as the king wanted. And God delivered him from the lions.
Daniel 6:13-21
13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”
16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”
17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel,and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

There must be devotion. Our devotion and adoration of God moves Him to respond.
There will be miracles. We become a vessel that God trusts to carry out His special work. In the Bible you can see how many miracles God did through those who trusted Him. All of those set themselves apart from what God did not like and they put all their strength to please Him in every area of their lives. They did their best and the best of their best. They did not compete with others but they desperately wanted to do what God expected them to do.

I will give God my best. Even when we bring our best we more importantly chase after God. We grow Him inside of us. We dedicate ourselves to pleasing and serving Him.

When we represent Him with our best He will perfect what He already has planted in us. He will respond.

Daniel’s best for God combined with God’s power was perfect. David’s best for God combined with God’s power was perfect.

Your best on its own is incomplete. That is why God does not want us to chase after success, or do everything to be somebody. He wants our best for Him.  Your best for God plus God’s power is perfected. What do you want to see in your life?

Do you want to see how God can perfect all you do?
It is not only about school, sports, achievements. It is about everything in your life.  We have to give God our best in every area.
I want God to perfect my marriage, my relationship with my kids, with my parents, relationships with other people with His strength. Every day it can be better. Don't compare to what it was yesterday. Yesterday was good too. But today is a new day that the Lord has made for my new best. 

The amount of money a widow gave at the time that Jesus lived was her very best. And God acknowledged it. Today she is the most talked about old lady in the Bible.
Mark 12:41-43
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
 
Do you want God to perfect all you do? Bring Him your best and He will perfect it with His power. This is what we need to do, not fight with other people, but fight with everything that blocks us from bringing our best to God every day. Because if you will fight for the title to be the best you will always compare yourself to others and you will not have time to ask God to perfect what you do. Your hard work will be incomplete and you will not be satisfied.
We have to bring our best. If I see something I can do for God, or for others I have to bring my best and God will perfect it, not me! Please make this decision today to give God your best in every area of your life and He will perfect it and you will be happy!