In Pursuit of Relevance

“I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me” 1 Samuel 2:30

In Luke 1 verse 5 we are introduced to two men – King Herod and Zechariah the priest. It goes without saying that the king must have been the more popular and the more important of the two men in their time. But Zechariah was more important in God’s program than Herod the king.

It is not popularity and fame that is important. It is one’s degree of relevance to God and his purposes. Not even relevance to one’s generation is as important as relevance to God. It is easy to make the mistake of equating relevance to men with relevance to God. But even the most popular ministry might not be the most relevant to God. The fact that people still remember a man does not always imply that heaven is still impressed with him. Our goal must not be popularity but being useful to God to our utmost capacity.

What does it take to be relevant to God? We see the key in the portrait of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth in verse 6 (KJV). “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments…. of the Lord …”  Righteousness before God is what qualifies and positions a man for relevance to God, not noise, not activities, not great gifts. This couple had a correct walk with God. They were content to walk quietly before the Lord in the light they were daily receiving from him.

It is as we concentrate on developing and maintaining a true walk with God that a true work of God will spring out of our lives. To put the latter before the former is to invite confusion and produce a service that is like Cain’s offering – an offering that God cannot accept or use. It may be large in volume and applauded by men but irrelevant to God’s purposes.

Life is too short and too precious to waste it in pursuing men’s approval and esteem. We must focus on walking with God. I encourage you to concentrate on walking quietly with the Lord. Spend quality time with him and let your intimacy with him deepen. Let him become your pleasure and you his pleasure. Focus on pleasing and enjoying him and he will make rivers of living water flow out of you to bless this dark world.