Becoming Who God Desires: A Journey of Character

atrophies from G's perspective what matters deeply is not so much do I get the story that I want but does does God get the me that he wants and how does he use my story what ever my story might be in order to turn me into the person that he wants me to be [00:00:48]

no matter what age we are we're always thinking about how can I get promoted how do I get the raise how do I get the next company if you're in the ministry world how do I get the bigger church and um it's not that that's bad but what if we gave more attention to hey where is my character headed [00:03:36]

I think my passion for that is if I become the right kind of person chances are I'll do the right kind of thing if I do not become the right kind of person does it even matter what I do yeah and so I'm asking the question one of my favorite questions to ask people and myself included is what is present in your life that could hijack God's vision for your future [00:03:56]

who is greater than what but also why is greater than what and how is greater than what so who you become matters more than what you do why like your ambition or motivation you're doing matters more than what you do how you go about doing what you do matters more than what you do and oh by the way what you do really really matters but it's it's not first [00:05:12]

you can get the what to look pretty impressive but if the who or the why or the how is wrong it can actually do more damage than good yeah and so the only person I can bring to my parenting is who Ben Pilgreen actually is not who I want my kids to think I am the only person I can bring to pastoring Epic Church in San Francisco is the person I can you know so it's like man we give so much attention to polishing the outside that the inside often at atrophies [00:05:36]

Jesus said that you can only you know bring it out you can only bring out what you are the good man brings good out of the inside the evil man bring he brings we're all bringing it out yeah um whatever whatever's in US is you know is one of my favorite illustrations is you know I love a good burrito around the Bay Area and you know as you're going down the line you you get to choose what goes in the burrito uh but but once you consume it you're no longer in control [00:06:18]

I think that's challenging I mean you know um one of the even tricky things about motives is that it can't be seen by other people at least initially and we aren't always aware of it so it's I think some of that is can I open myself up that that end of Psalm 139 like God search my heart show me sh help me know about me what you know about me [00:08:02]

I really Advocate this concept of creating a wisdom table in our lives this idea like a personal board of directors so I need people who know God and know me want God's best for me but are going to be willing to tell me the truth and so you know no organization or company could ever get by without a board of director and yet our lives are so much more important and many of us have no close advisors helping us um be guided through this life to to know ourselves [00:08:40]

I'm always looking at my humility and confidence I think one without the other uh means that I'm off you know humility without confidence often looks like humiliation uh confidence without humility often uh is about arrogance and so I'm asking the question like on my best most accomplished days can I stay humble and on those hard days maybe like the morning that you've had like can I stay confident [00:09:33]

this is what's resonating the deepest with everyone who's read the book on the front end uh Pat Ginger wrote the forward this is what captured his attention and so I it came up in a message we were doing a series on Proverbs in 2017 and the and and since then it's become part of the vernacular here in our church but also across Silicon Valley you'll I'm hearing it in interviews people are giving that I'm not involved in and it's not a church conversation [00:10:29]

knowing what wisdom is um I I used the story of RI rabam and um he had access to wisdom these advisers who had advised his fathers he dismissed them from his wisdom table and he put the friends he had grown up with there which yeah I'm sure I'm sure the friends I go up grew up with are super fun I'm not sure they should be advising My Life um and just in case just in case anybody has not memorized was it Proverbs 2017 2013 I think 2013 what does it say yeah oh 1320 maybe it walk with the wise and become wise for companion fo suffers harm [00:10:55]

the invitation is uh to ask God to bring out what is inside you and ask God to put in inside you that which is worthy of bringing out and I will think some about my wisdom table today and who do I want to sit around that and um Ben I'm very grateful to you um man deep deep blessings on uh you and your family and uh your church and your work which are precious to me and n and a lot of folks [00:11:48]