Using the 4Ls, Part 17 – How the Ls Help Fulfill My Mission

This week, I move up another level to my mission. Many people do not make a distinction between vision and mission, but I think a distinction is helpful. To me, Vision is what you see when the Mission is accomplished. An example I use for this relates to travelling. Let me state the goal of going to the Grand Canyon. The Vision is to “see” the Grand Canyon. The Mission is getting there to see it. The Strategy is how you will get there. The Steps are the individual pieces of the how. To briefly clarify, let me present it this way.

Vision:  See the Grand Canyon
Mission:  I want to go to the Grand Canyon.
Strategy:  I will drive to the Grand Canyon with my wife while we are on vacation.
Steps:  I will take vacation on certain dates, rent a vehicle, plan a route to drive, determine where to say along the way, find grocery stores to buy food, save money for the trip, etc.

Of course, this example is limited, but it shows how I view the overall process. So, with that, let me provide a reminder of my Mission:

I will love my Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ, submit to His authority in my life, and rely on His power to use my God-given abilities to serve others – beginning with my family (Phil. 2:3-4).  I will seek to grow in my knowledge and understanding of God’s truths, and His will for my life.  I will trust in His provision (Ps. 73.25-26).  I will externalize my faith by reaching out to others, teaching them God’s truths, and encouraging others to grow in their own relationship with Christ, so they may disciple others as well (Col. 1.28-29).

This statement contains many different pieces. It has four different action components, three different gifts, and three parts of Scripture to guide me. Over the next several weeks, I will break down the action items and gifts as they relate to the steps. For now, let me list them here and provide a brief rationale for the Scripture references.

Item 1 – Love Jesus (including submitting to Him and relying on Him while serving others)
Item 2 – Learn about God (His truth and His will)
Item 3 – Live by His grace (Trust in his provision)
Item 4 – Lead others so they may lead others (Externalize my faith)

A quick look at these four items reveals the 4Ls although in a different order. I developed this Mission Statement many years ago (15-20) although it has been tweaked some in recent years (e.g. the last phrase was added a couple of years ago). When I developed it I had not considered the 4Ls yet, but I do not see any reason to alter the order of the Mission Statement to match (and think the 4Ls are ordered appropriately).

Gift 1 – Knowledge (along with wisdom knowledge is among my top Spiritual gifts)
Gift 2 – Teaching (primary Spiritual gift)
Gift 3 – Encouraging (another top gift of mine as given by the Holy Spirit)

As my Mission states, these items and gifts must be used in tandem with any abilities I have (talents, skills, etc. – also given by God, but these items I consider to be natural or developed through human means) to complete the task God has for me. As I fulfill my Mission, then I will ultimately achieve my Vision of being the man God wants me to be. But, as I have mentioned throughout this series, each level of my overall plan (Vision, Mission, Strategy, Steps) is interdependent on the other levels to be properly executed. 

Next week, I will begin to break down how each L fits within the context of the Mission. Again, this may already be somewhat apparent (especially with Items 1-4 above), but having come this far in this series, I want to see it through to completion. Therefore, I will begin this breakdown next week.

Prior Posts:
4L – Matthew 4.19 – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/01/4l-discipleship-matthew-419.html
4L – Matthew 28.19 – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/01/4l-discipleship-matthew-2819.html
4L – Spiral – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/01/using-4ls-part-1-spiral.html
4L – Vision – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/02/using-4ls-part-2-vision.html
4L – Mission – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/02/using-4ls-part-3-mission.html
4L – Strategy – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/02/using-4ls-part-4-strategy.html
4L – Steps – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/02/using-4ls-part-5-steps.html
4L – Learn – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/03/using-4ls-part-6-learn.html
4L – Live – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/03/using-4ls-part-7-live.html
4L – Love – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/03/using-4ls-part8-love.html
4L – Lead – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/03/using-4ls-part9-lead.html
4L – BackUptheSpiral – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/03/using-4ls-part-10-back-up-spiral.html
4L – HelpMeLEARN (Love) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/04/using-4ls-part-11-how-ls-help-me-learn.html
4L – HelpMeLEARN (Exercise) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/04/using-4ls-part-12-how-ls-help-me-learn.html
4L – HelpMeLEARN (Action) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/04/using-4ls-part-13-how-ls-help-me-learn.html
4L – HelpMeLEARN (Read) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/04/using-4ls-part-14-how-ls-help-me-learn.html
4L – HelpMeLEARN (Nurture) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/05/using-4ls-part-15-how-ls-help-me-to.html

4L – HelpMeLEARN (Summary) – http://fotonni.blogspot.com/2017/05/using-4ls-part-16-how-ls-help-me-learn.html