Success - Part 3

"Success is getting what you want ... Happiness is wanting what you get"

A friend made that comment Saturday at the Men's Fight Club. It reminds me of another saying I heard growing up, "Be careful what you ask for ... you may actually get it!" Jesus said, "For what does it prosper a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul in the process." If nothing more, each of these statements remind us of the need to stay focused on what really matters in life. To not major in the minors!

Dr. Robert Hughes said in my Survey of the Old Testament class so many years ago, "Good becomes evil if it keeps you from God's best." I like that statement as well. In fact, I think all of the above proverbs ring true when considering how we measure our Christian life.

I would suggest that being success driven in this area of life can actually be injurious if not kept in proper focus. When "results" become more important to us than the object of original desire "Jesus," we have stepped on to a "slippery slope" spiritually speaking, for sure. The pursuit of serving Christ can quickly overshadow our relationship with Christ if it becomes the primary focus of measuring our success as a Christian.

Pride always besets Christian growth. It sets us back relationally with Jesus and others every time. The Apostle Paul echoed this when he told the Corinthians that "knowledge makes arrogant" in his first letter (8:1). One can easily see how success can create a pecking order from which to judge others by. Humans seems to be prone to comparison anyhow. We tend to compete for trophies (literally or figuratively) and place them on display for others to view.

Pride can also lead to spiritual presumption if we are "trophy focused" in measuring our spirituality. If the "achievements" tell us where we place in the contest of Christianity then one might naturally conclude that the one who has the most accolades on display must be more spiritual and has acquired favor/recognition from God. Could anything be further from the teaching of Jesus regarding position in His kingdom? Yet, so many embrace this mindset.

I think some others dangers of inappropriately measuring our Christianity would be discouragement and frustration as well. These are "biggies" in the church today. Naturally if the ego is inflated by performance- based success then deflation must occur when the results are not met. No doubt we have all witnessed Christians with a "morale problem" for this very reason.

Often this kind of "hamster-wheel spirituality" leads to "spiritual driven-ness" or "compromise" in order to cope with unrealistic spiritual expectations. How sad. Clearly this is not the abundant life that Jesus gave His life for and longs for His followers to experience.

"Success is getting what you want...happiness is wanting what you get" I want Jesus. A relationship with Christ that is richer, fuller, sweeter. One that is growing sweeter as the days go by! What say you?

Thanks for stopping by!
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Adrian