So asks an old song by Steve Taylor, one of the best Christian satirists and composers of the past several decades. But it's a question with which I wrestle each day. The definitions of what constitutes a successful and worthwhile life in this world are so alluring. At least it is for me.
And so, I find myself worrying about how many people are in worship on Sunday mornings at the church I pastor not so that more people can hear God's message of love for them, but as a reflection on my preaching prowess.
I stew about how many people are visiting this blog.
I compare the achievements of my family to those of other families, as though that reflects positively on me.
And on and on it goes.
Charlie LeHardy has some thoughts on success, triggered by another blogger's reflections on the subject. Both pieces are definitely worth reading.
UPDATE: Please check out this related post by another blogger, like Charlie LeHardy, I met at the recent GodBlogCon in Los Angeles, Alex Jordan.
ANOTHER UPDATE: In February, I wrote a series of posts on a related topic. The series was called Goal-Setting: A Christian Approach. Here are the links to each installment:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
4 comments:
Hi Mark:
Greetings to you in the Lord!
May the Lord bless you, your household and your ministry as you endeavor to be successful for His sake.
I too was inspired by those two blog posts you mentioned; enough to write my own take on the subject.
(Above I just felt inspired to pronounce a blessing on you).
Love in Christ,
Alex
Hi Mark,
Success is indeed a nebulous word. I think it's got to be tied somehow to being able to meet my maker and say "with what you gave me I did well. I used it all and for good as much as I was able."
John:
Thanks for your visit and for your words. I enjoyed visiting your blog.
Mark
Liz:
Thanks for stopping by. Forgive me, but your comments have elicited a sermon from me. If you want to visit another blog now, that's okay. But here goes...
Speaking for myself, when I stand before God, I know that I won't have deeds sufficiently impressive to negate the deeds of selfishness I've committed and still, God help me, I still commit.
But I do have hope...endless hope!
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus describes a scene in which He stands before two groups of people at the judgment. One group is referred to as the goats and the other as sheep.
The goats are told to leave His presence because whenever He came to them naked, imprisoned, hungry, or in need, they ignored Him. Mystified, this group of people ask whenever they saw Jesus in such conditions. Jesus says that whenever they saw the "least" of the human race, by which I take Him to mean the powerless, the rejected, the hurting, or the defamed, they really saw Him. In rejecting them, they rejected Him.
Then, Jesus turns to "the sheep." He tells them that because they welcomed Him when He was naked, imprisoned, hungry, or in need, they were welcome to live with Him forever. The sheep are as mystified as the goats had been. "Lord," they ask, "when did we ever see You in those conditions?" "Whenever you served the powerless, the rejected, the hurting, or the defamed, you really served Me."
The point? The sheep knew that there was nothing more commendable and that there was as much that was condemnable in them as in the goats. The good they did resulted not from some rent they paid in the form of good deeds. The Bible says that all our good works, still tinged as they are by the reality of our selfishness, are as "filthy rags" in the eyes of God.
What made the sheep acceptable is that they allowed Christ entree into their lives. They admitted their need of Him, surrendered to Him, and allowed Him to do His work. They focused on being human beings, not human doings. They relied on Christ, God worked inside of them so that they became unconscious of themselves, and God helped them live differently, with love even for "the least."
I love this passage from the New Testament book of Ephesians:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."
In other words, I'm saved from myself--from my death-infested self-will--through my faith, or my trust in, Jesus, not because of any good stuff I do. When we surrender to the One Who made us, He begins to redesign us from the inside out so that we can move toward becoming the loving people He made us to be in the first place and, out of that transformation of our beings, we can begin to do the things He for which we were designed to live: love of God, love of others.
I derive lots of comfort and hope from this passage because it tells me that God accepts imperfect people like me, that He's patient with us, and that He's committed to helping us be our best selves. I love that!
End of sermon.
Thanks for dropping by and for your comments!
Mark
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