The Measuring Stick
Zechariah 2:1-2 says: "And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, 'Where are you going?' And he said to me, 'To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length."
The very last thing I did at our old house right before settlement was transferring all the measurements of our kid's heights from our bedroom door to an old paint stick that I converted into a "measuring stick". I then transferred those measurements to my new closet door. I feel like "measuring" is one of my jobs as a dad. It's also one of my jobs as a pastor. But here's the challenge: the most important dimensions are the most difficult to measure.
It's easy to measure attendance and giving. But that gives you a two-dimensional perspective. Think of them as length and width. And they aren't insignificant. But the most important dimension is depth. If you're a mile wide and an inch deep you might look impressive, when in fact, you're very shallow. Spiritual depth is the most important dimension and it's by far the hardest to measure. But it's the only way to get a three-dimensional perspective.
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I really feel like National Community Church is going deeper right now. We're definitely getting longer and wider in terms of attendance and giving, but it's the depth dimension that determines our true potential and true impact. I honestly think that our corporate strategy of reading through the Bible together is mining new depths. I also sense a greater hunger for and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. And nothing will take you deeper than a renewed hunger for Holy Scripture and the one who inspired it, the Holy Spirit.
