A few years ago I wrote out my personal vision statement. It was a soul-searching process that forced me to think through what I consider "success". The definition of success I chose to pursue is very different from what most of our popular culture embraces.
Not the praise of men, not the admiration of co-workers, not the fame of publicity, not wealth or riches, not a life of leisure or pleasure, not the mention in books or magazines, not invitations to speak at prominent events but the gaze of the Father whose eyes say loudly WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SON is my purest desire. My fleshly heart looks for man-centered ways of measuring my success and significance while my spirit looks to the Father to find divine approval. Deep inside I know that to act outside of the will of the Father motivated by anything other than his glory is nothing but waste and loss. Men may applaud it, the young may admire it, the crowds may celebrate it and my flesh may be tempted by it, but the Spirit of Jesus quietly side steps all that does not please the heart of the Father.
At the end of my life I hope to measure my success by the standard I have set in the statement below.
Mark Jobe - Personal Vision Statement
I want to be true to my call.
Walk with integrity
Stay in love with my wife while raising a great family
Influence multitudes
Reach the end of my life loving God
above all things and others genuinely as myself
I want to know Christ deeply, be like him increasingly
and make him known where ever I go
I want to hear “Well done good and faithful son enter into
My Kingdom. You have been a man after my own heart.
