Outcome?
Many decisions are made in life based on an expected outcome. In the news, we have heard of outcome-based education. The focus of outcome-based education is on achieving better test results. The focus is less on a well-rounded and well-grounded education in the essentials.
We risk getting off track whenever we gear ourselves to make the goal a particular outcome that was never intended. Outcome-based thinking can lead to unwarranted discouragement.
I’ve seen this happen to believers many times. For instance, I have watched as a believer gets excited about sharing their faith and then loses that excitement when they begin to think everyone they shared it with should have been saved and was not.
In His parable on the sower, Jesus explains how the seed the sower sows is the word of God, and everywhere the sower goes, he is sowing that seed, but the seed falls on different types of ground. If the sower determined whether or not to continue sowing seed based on the outcomes, he would likely give up because only one of the four types of ground described produced as it should. In that parable, Jesus clarified that the soil types described people’s heart conditions.
This is a great parable to instruct us on understanding the purpose and being committed to it versus being outcome-based.
The purpose of the sower was to sow seed (The Word of God). The outcome would be based on the condition of the hearts the seed landed on. The sower has no control over the state of the heart. The seed sower was not sent to plow, condition, de-weed, or alter the soil the seed would fall on.
In this parable, the purpose of the sower is to sow seed faithfully and let the outcomes be whatever they end up being. If the sower were to become distracted by the soil condition, he might only sow his seed selectively or cease sowing his seed altogether because he is determined to work on the state of the soil versus sowing his seed.
When it comes to being witnesses for Christ, we are only asked to share the truth concerning Jesus with others. If we do that, we have done what we were asked. If we become obsessed with the outcome, we can become easily discouraged and give up on doing what we are meant to do if the outcome isn’t producing at the level we initially hoped for.
Outcome moves our focus from the calling of obedience to His will from being the objective to an objective of what happens. If what we expect that outcome to look like isn’t occurring, we can begin to question His will and end up getting off course from it.
Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”
I am so thankful that Jesus did not lose sight of His calling and purpose. He pushed through the rejection of His people and the religious leaders, misunderstandings, false accusations, well-crafted temptations, and even death on a cross to complete His mission to fulfill the Father’s will.
We should remember how Jesus said, “nevertheless, not my will but Your will be done.” Jesus did the Father’s will continually; it was His purpose. His will is just as much our purpose; to know it and comply with it, we need the Holy Spirit. Let’s not get outcome focused when it comes to being His witnesses. Let’s enjoy being His witnesses in the power of the Spirit and let Him be the One who determines outcomes.
