Short but Smart // Micah

When we treat something like it will always be there we tend to grow apathetic and entitled, which generally results in mismanagement. When we realize the finite nature of a substance we begin to get more serious about the best use of it, after all, we reason, "it won’t be around long."

As it pertains to time, when we realize it is our most valuable non-renewable resource, we are encouraged to better steward it. Realizing life is short and that we don’t, “get time back,” helps us be more intentional about using it well the first go round. Life experience has made this a serious personal pursuit for my family. My wife and I periodically ask four inventory questions in view of time. The answers help us in our efforts to continually recalibrate so we may “invest" instead of “waste" our lives.

What does God value? We are ultimately here for His glory and find answers from Him in His Word. How did Christ invest His life on earth? We live to complete His mission and have His example on display in the gospels. Do my actions align with my beliefs? We need occasional "gut checks" to make sure our values are well formed and our behavior aligned. What needs to change? We commit to adjust resource allocation for the next period of time in light of gaps or strengths we have uncovered.

When we lay these questions over our home, work, civic and church roles we set ourselves up to maximize what are ultimately short periods of time. After all we can’t really change the fact that “life is but a vapor.” We can however choose to live Short But Smart lives.

Psalms 90:12 “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

- Micah McElveen

King of the Hill // Micah

I always thought of "King of the Hill" as a kid's game. You remember, the one where no sooner had you made it to the top and 'bam' you were waylaid, followed by a great view of your usurper from the bottom. Who knew that this childhood pastime was a foretaste of a deeply ingrained human desire to rule and reign.

Embedded in our core is an appetite to rise above the rest, to be atop the heap. The desire to be King fuels pursuit in every sector of our modern day culture. In sports, we call them MVP's and Champions, in business it is Chairman, CEO and Fortune 100, in academics it's valedictorian, and so it goes. We incessantly vie for the top and climb towards titles that declare who is supreme. While there is an upside to healthy competition and ambition, it must be noted that an ugly multidimensional downside emerges when people become obsessed with being king.

In our world's system, leading is about personal gain and glory. In Christ's Kingdom, it is about the good of others and glory of God. If left unchecked, our upward ambition will distance us from people and position us to be at odds with God. When we make it about us we work against God's design to lift us up that we may point people to Him, and no man survives between God and His glory.

As we navigate the business of this life we must remember that in God's economy, the higher we rise, the more we serve. And as we succeed, our soul must remember that in Christ's Kingdom our ascent is about the elevation of those we lead and the exaltation of the Most High God, who is the ultimate King of the Hill.

"When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself." John 6:15

"I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before the world was created." John 17:4-5

"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else." John 3:30-31a

- Micah McElveen

Wired For Glory // Micah

In some fashion, we are all pressing upward, vying for glory. While corporate ladders typically outline upward mobility with clearly defined steps, successes in all arenas are fueled in part by some form of acknowledgement. A stay at home mom, who fulfills a most challenging and important role, may not have career advancement in mind, but may be driven by her children "rising up and calling her blessed" or Facebook friends "liking" the job she is doing.

In the marketplace, compensation plays to glory, as it is fundamentally a tool to reward and attribute value to a worker. Raises increase purchasing power, which in turn facilitates acquisition of products and brands that set one apart and subtly speak to what a person has achieved or is capable of.

At its foundation, performance itself is incentivized by recognition. At every stage in our lives, top performers are granted increased visibility in almost every field: Valedictorian, Rhodes Scholar, MD, VP, CEO, MVP, shoot, even kid's spelling bee's have a "champion". Whether being lifted up involves a podium, a trophy, or a simple pat on the back is not the point. Regardless the ladder we are climbing each rung is marked in some fashion by increase in title, status, recognition or reward, all of which lead to greater glory.

The question is not: do I live for glory, but instead, to what end will glory bestowed on me be used?

Will glory given me be a means to stake a temporary claim with temporal ends on this fleeting dirt wad we call Earth? Or will it be used for the eternal purposes of The One who will outshine the sun?

After all we are all Wired For Glory.

"I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me." John 17:22-23

"Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen." I Peter 4:11

"O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!" 1 Chronicles 16:28–29a

- Micah McElveen