Titus 2:10b: Firmware Just Boots and That's OK

...so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. - Titus 2:10b 

My job is to write firmware. This software is attached to the motherboard of about 200 different new models of PCs. Those new PCs are used by millions of computer users each year to do their jobs, play their games,  write their e-mails, create their PowerPoint slides, etc. That software comes from over 2 million lines of source code. But my daughter, when asked if she wanted to do the type of job that I do, said that she didn't because all we get to say when our product works is: it boots. 

In fact, you don't want to see our product, called BIOS. If you see our product it usually means that something has gone wrong: the computer's hardware has failed, the firmware has been corrupted, etc. Now, I am quite proud of the craft that goes into our firmware. Well-written code is an art and I and my colleagues have spent years writing and fine-tuning the code. But the highest complement that you can pay to our art is that you don't see it. It seamlessly creates the environment where Windows or macOS can load so that other people can be productive. If it draws attention to itself, it is failing. 

A lot of what goes into church work is like that. The end result should always be for someone else's growth and God's glory. If a worship team or a pastor makes you leave the service thinking, "What a great guitarist that worship band has!" or "What a great guy that speaker is!" it is a fail, because the goal of the worship service is in the changed lives of the congregants and the glorification of the God who inspired it all. 

A lot of what goes into life is like that. The end result should always be for someone else's growth and God's glory. When I draw attention to myself--when everyone leaves thinking, "What a smart and compassionate guy Tim is!"-it is a fail because the goal of life is the changed lives of others and the glorification of the God who inspired it all.

It would be like an art gallery where the painting was ignored and the picture frames became the star of the exhibition. Our lives frame the love and goodness of God and the changed lives he brings, bringing those into clear focus. Those frames can be well crafted, sturdy and artful but they are never the point.