You may protest, but the question we may never have bothered to ask ourselves is if our desire to serve Christ and our drive to succeed in life are mutually agreeable goals.
Packiam, Glenn (2010-01-01). Secondhand Jesus (p. 88). David C Cook. Kindle Edition.
Some of us grew up in a very legalistic Christianity. It seemed that anything fun was not appropriate for the Christian. If it made you smile, it must be sinful. We were told that those happy in this life were forfeiting eternal bliss. It’s no surprise that many of us ran from Christianity as soon as we could.
The modern church has tried to call us back. There is a new message, “Christianity can be fun.” I believe in that message, but like most of man’s endeavors it has gone too far. In not getting the word of God directly, we have fallen victim to rumors about what the Christian life is. We have “learned” that Jesus can get us what we really want: wealth, popularity, good health, success. The prosperity gospel has become very popular. In some forms, it’s ridiculous: Send me $1000 and God will make you rich. But other forms are less obvious. Football players believe being a Christian can help you win the Super Bowl. Business men conclude that church going can assure the success of your business. Soccer moms believe that a fish symbol on your car will help get you everything a suburban wife could want.
Like most really good lies, there is a kernel of truth. God is not opposed to success. God does want the best for us. He does love us. But our ideas of success or what’s best don’t always match up with God’s. Some Christians will be rich and healthy and successful. Others will struggle every day just to survive. Our circumstances don’t define our spirituality, our hearts do.We are to seek after God and Him alone. Whatever else comes, comes. We can’t have both Christ and earthly success as goals. When we follow Christ, He may give us some earthly blessings: health, wealth, etc.; but if He does it’s for a purpose, not as a reward or as evidence of our commitment to Him.
Jesus warned, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Luke 16:13). When we decide to serve God, our service must be exclusive. It’s not purely a money issue. Jesus also said that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
We are told to “Let Go and Let God.” That’s true as far as it goes. We need to “Let Go” of the world and what it offers, we need to hang on desperately to Jesus. We need to follow passionately and “Let God” sort out everything else. We can’t hold on to Jesus if our hands are still grasping for health, wealth, fame or success.
“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8).
Hold on to what matters and nothing else and
Be blessed.
Nick
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