Capone's and Jesus

Matt and I had an awesome conversation Saturday night over beer at Capone's. :) We talked about both our frustrations and joys as Christians...and what I realized is that sometimes, while I complain about others losing sight of the "big picture," I myself lose sight of that same "big picture" -- that Jesus is constantly pursuing a deeper relationship with us, and that we, because of His amazing love, can't help but respond. (Well...at least that's part of the big picture...the part I've been thinking about lately.)

To be perfectly honest, I've been frustrated lately with the questions at my growth group. So many of them seem to be "me" focused -- "What have you done lately to encourage others", etc. Here's my issue with those types of questions: there is nothing in me that naturally desires to bring glory to anybody but myself. There is nothing in me that does good. Before we know Jesus, all of our actions are worthless. I can do nothing to please God.

I realize that now that I know Jesus, my actions are worth something, and they can bring glory to God. But this is only because of the work the Holy Spirit is doing in and through me.

So I guess my point here is that a better question might be "How is God working through you to encourage others?" or "How has the Holy Spirit been evident in your life lately?" Those types of questions I can totally understand answering -- those questions are all about reflecting on God's goodness...not my own.

Just been pondering a lot lately I guess....am I being picky here, or does this resonate with anyone else?