Go Beyond

Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” True, indeed. Looking back over the past 46 years in ministry I can see the connections between a lot of dots — providential connections.

The truth of the matter is that none of us become who we are or get where we are solely because of our own efforts. God does indeed use others to provide us with opportunities for growth that we might otherwise have missed, to open doors that might otherwise have remained shut, or to challenge us to consider the direction of our lives.

That’s what happened to me near the end of my freshman year in college. Although I believed that God had called me to serve Him in ministry, I knew little about what I needed to do to follow-through on my commitment to Him. I was drifting without realizing it.

And then, I attended a luncheon and listened to a speaker whose words penetrated my heart and subsequently changed my life. The speaker entitled his talk “Quo Vadis” and explained that this Latin phrase means “Where are you going?”

But, then he added the question, “And, what are you doing to get there?” His words convicted me that I needed to become more intentional about living for Christ and preparing for ministry. My heart was heavy with conviction as I walked to my afternoon class.

When I reached the sidewalk in front of the campus library I stopped and could not move. It’s as if I was alone with God on that public sidewalk. At that moment and on that spot I renewed my commitment to God and determined to become intentional about preparing to serve Him — and that meant taking my education much more seriously.

I have reflected on that particular day many times since then. More than once I have wondered about what might have happened in my life had I not attended that free luncheon or had there been a different speaker on that day.

Although I am far from perfect, the desire of my heart has remained the same since I stopped to pray on the sidewalk in front of the campus library. I am still determined to serve the purpose of God in my generation (Acts 13:36).

One of my favorite songs is entitled “The Motions” by Matthew West — a song with these very convicting lyrics:

I don’t wanna go through the motions

I don’t wanna go one more day

Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions

The last thing I want to do when I reach the end of my life is ask, “What if I had given everything?” It’s easy to go through the motions — to learn the language and to do stuff at church and to act the part without ever having to give Him everything.

Matthew West’s song reminded me of a turning point in the life of the famed evangelist D.L. Moody (1837–1899). His life was changed when Henry Varley, a British revivalist, befriended him and challenged him with these words: “The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully devoted to Him.” 


Moody later recalled, “He said a man, he did not say a great man, a learned man, a smart man. He just simply said a man. I am a man. And it lies within me whether I will or I will not make this full devotion to God.” And then D.L. Moody said, “I will do my best to be that man.” Moody understood that it’s impossible to change the world by simply going through the motions.

So — quo vadis. Where are you going in your journey with Christ and what are you doing to get there? Have you made yourself available to God without reservation? Are you willing to give Him everything or have you convinced yourself that He cannot use you or what you have to offer Him? What are you holding back and why?

Never underestimate how God can use ordinary people like you and me to serve His purposes in the world today. Don’t be satisfied with going through the motions. Live adventurously for God. Give him everything.