Chick-fil-a is incredible. I have never had a bad time in Chick-fil-a, they are always well staffed, always say “My pleasure”, always clean, the food is unreal (especially the nuggets), and they are prepared for their guests!

They know who they are serving and they know what they are about. Making the most unbelievable chicken in the fast food industry. They go out of their way to make their guests comfortable. From moist towlettes on the wall to having people come by to fill your cup or carry your tray to the table. They go out of their way to make sure you want to come back. They are committed to excellence.

Why do you go to Chick-fil-A? I never go to eat a hamburger, I go to eat chicken. I go because their product is incredibly delicious.

Think hard, have you ever had a bad Chick-fil-a experience?

When I think about the church, we tend to be more about offering as much as we can to as many people as we can. In the end, we end up with a bunch of half cooked programs that all taste the same. What if we simplified? What if people knew what they were going to get at church? What if we focused on the one thing we are supposed to be focused on? The Gospel. The fact that I cannot live the life God intended without Christ. What if we decided to proclaim that with the same degree of excellence as you see in a Chick-fil-A.

We could write about this forever and I know that we aren’t offering a “product”. I do, however, think that we could learn a lot from Chick-fil-A.

Saul was that guy. He had potential. He was popular, smart, looked up to. He had the X factor. If anyone could have been great it was him. We know the story well. Its a sad story. It doesn’t end with some triumphant accolades or peace for the masses. It ends with him falling on his own sword.

So what was his problem? What kept him from being remembered as a great King who feared God? If we are honest with ourselves, he struggled from the same thing we struggle with. Partial obedience to God.

We are very skilled at compartmentalizing our faith. We bring it out on Sunday morning and say everything we are supposed to around the saints and then live like hell the rest of the week. We remain Luke warm. We remain mediocre. God wants to use us for great things, and yet because we only follow Him when its convenient we miss out on everything He wants to use us for.

I for one refuse to live like Saul anymore.

I want to be used by God for more, for things that impact all of eternity. I want to fully obey the Word of God. I want my kids to know that I loved and obeyed God all their lives and I want them to see what God will do with one man fully committed to Him.

No matter where you are in life, its not to late to stop obeying partially. Stop giving God the leftovers. Stop obeying when its convenient.

Give God your all and he will take you farther and deeper than you could have ever imagined.

Lets not allow our lives to end with us falling on our swords. Let us end our lives with a passion for God’s kingdom and hearts completely sold out to Him.

Now don’t miss the impact of this, we are really good at writing our own names, but this list contains 7 names that were written by others. These men were chosen.

The early church actually had problems, but thankfully the early church had problem solvers at the helm. These men that were chosen, were chosen to solve a problem, but there was a stipulation. These men had to be known to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit. In other words, they were weren’t self-proclaimed men of God, but known men of God. Others had seen them consistently exemplify what a disciple should be.

This wasn’t a popularity contest, this wasn’t a board of decision makers, this was a select, small group of men, who were known by all to be full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

I have to wonder, if I had been in their midst, would my name have come up? Would I have made the final cut? Am I known to be a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit?

I think this passage has much farther implications that we usually see. We use it to justify deacons. But I believe this is a call to all of us. Pastors, men, women, everyone who calls themselves a believer. What are you known for? We don’t get to write our own epitaph, sure we can have what we want put on a plaque or tombstone, but we all know those don’t really matter. What really matters is what others write for us.

We all want to live some epic story. As kids we would create elaborate worlds and live out the life of some hero or heroin, todays kids (and adults) have elaborate worlds generated on a computer and they live out the life of a super soldier, or King, or funny looking go-cart driver. While the medium has changed from imagination to computer generation, our desire to be in story has not.

Now, of course we all live some sort of story, work, kids, life, death, conflict, etc. But what I am getting at is real story, great story, academy award winning story. You have to look for it. You have to throw yourself into it. You have to want it enough to overcome tremendous conflict. Whether you take a huge pay-cut or move away from all your friends and family, I am talking about the kind of story that you have to make great sacrifices for. The kind that stretches your faith and makes a mark on everyone who hears it. Like an unbelievable testimony.

There is a family that Miller writes about that did just that. Sorry, you will have to buy the book to read the details, but I will let you in on one important, if not the most important, detail of the story. Miller writes about the children in this family. They are older children in High School and college, and he writes “each have a quiet dignity and confidence. They also have an informal charm as though they just know you would like them if you’d take the time to get to know them…their story has given them character.” Its this last line that tugs at my heart.

The story your kids are living is shaping their character. What a perspective shifting thought. However, I think we should take this deeper. I believe with all my heart, that their parents story gave them character. The story you are living directly impacts and starts the story your children will live. If you live a bland story, the odds are your children will live a bland story. If you live a typical story, your kids will probably live a typical story. Your story shapes your kids character.

So here is the challenge. Evaluate your story. Even if you don’t have kids yet or your kids are grown and out of the house. What kind of story are you living? Have you ever chased the Epic? Its not too late. Throw yourself into the story the creator intends for you to live. One that challenges you, one that threatens you. One that would give you and your children great character. The kind of character that would cause an unsuspecting author to write about them in his best selling book.