God’s promises are not happening.
Yesterday going to sleep I thought that I’m not really successful at what I should be doing in life or with ministry.
I have some promises that God gave me about ministry 20+ years ago through prophecy, and I don’t see majority of those promises coming true yet.
So I was saying that to God.
And then a thought came, which I believe is from the Holy Spirit: God doesn’t measure success as we do. And that is right!
Let’s explore this a bit.
Ephesians 2:1-5. 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Out of the world, but not of the world.
I was in the world and I came out of the world.
God in His mercy saved me out the world, but just as it took Israelites many years for ‘Egypt to get out of them’, though they left Egypt in one night, it takes a long time for the world to leave us: the thinking and the principles that we are used to living by (hence the need to renew our mind (Rom. 12:2)).
Paul calls the principles of the world ‘weak and worthless’ (Gal. 4:9).
So when I try to define my success, my value or my importance, my image, etc., or when I try defining these things for other people (there is a word for it – judging), when I define these things by the standards of the world, I am in the wrong, I am doing it by the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world (Gal. 4:9).
We left the world, but now have to leave behind how the world measures success and many other principles of this world. And how does the world measure success?
Google the phrase “success definition” and you will get the general idea of world’s definition of success.
Bottom line seems to be in attaining of what you and what others want.
Bible’s hints at the definition of success.
But I want to know how does God view or measure success? We have a few hints in the Bible.
I. Eldest brother of David.
One that is very obvious to me is when “the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7).
You can look successful, have things, money, respect, stature, status, honor, etc., but what is in your heart?
The same Eliab, David’s eldest brother, whom Samuel decided worthy of being anointed to be the next king, came from a good family, seemed respected, had a father that people respected, was looking worthy of being a king, but what was in Eliab’s heart?
From a brief encounter of the two brothers during the Goliath’s episode, we see that Eliab was not at peace, he was angry, irritable for no real good reason, and all that beautiful stature couldn’t coverup what was in his heart (1 Samuel 17:28).
When you are with your kids and wife, or when next to someone who offended you, or when you are alone, one on one with God, with all your world-approved success — are you feeling successful?
Or are you feeling naked and foul and angry and having only shreds of godliness or peace?
II. God the Potter.
Here is another hint.
God sends Isaiah to the potters house and Isaiah says, 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Isaiah 18:3-4).
I have a question, at what point is the lump of clay successful? When the vessel was made and used?
Wouldn’t that be the potter’s success though, not clay’s? Isn’t clay’s success measured by being moldable and good for making a vessel out of?
Otherwise it would have been thrown out and a new lump clay used, as the first one proved to be unfit for a piece of pottery to be made out of it?
Then we read further and God says that people are as clay in His hand, and He breaks or builds them based on them doing evil or good.
In this world you can build a business that produces weapons to destroy, or make horror films, or create a social media platform that shares pornography with struggling men or women, or drugs, or something else, and the person that builds the business is counted successful and may end up on a list of most successful people in the world, and may be invited to give speeches and write books on how to build a successful business… oh, how weak and worthless elementary principles of the world are, and how wrong the world measures, and how we should not measure the way the world measures.
III. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).
And Paul notices:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34).
But thank God that Paul give us hope by saying, that we should try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians. 5:10), so its possible, its possible to know what is pleasing to God, how God measures our success!
Then be busy with that!
How many things did you find out today that are pleasing to the Lord? How many things did you do today that are pleasing to the Lord?
IV. Foundation of God’s throne.
In Isaiah 5:7 God says that He was looking for justice and righteousness.
That is what God was looking for, so maybe this is a hint at what God considers success?
Are you producing righteousness and justice?
You don’t need to be a big deal in world’s eyes to produce those things in your sphere of influence, no matter what size that sphere is (maybe easier with a smaller sphere).
And righteousness and justices are a big deal, God’s throne is founded on those two (Psalm 89:14)!
V. Blameless before God.
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9).
God is looking for those who are blameless towards God. How?
Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life (Phil. 2:14-16a).
So success is not in building a big company or a big ministry, but to be blameless before God by doing all things without grumbling and disputing, without arguing with God and people about whether I’m successful or not.
VI. Jesus’ success.
Ok, but I’m just trying to do what God is promised I will do 20 years ago.. and I seem to be doing very little of that.
Well Jesus did very little for 30 years too, in terms of what we think is big, but Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them (his parents)… And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:51-52).
Jesus was preparing, “building on the rock” for 30 years and then only did a few years of actual ministry, which ended in His death and all followers scattering and some of the closest ones betraying and denying him.
That did not look successful in the eyes of the world – no Roman government overthrown, no promised “world-defined” kingdom established.
But that was so on the surface that the world sees. Not so elsewhere. Not so where it matters to God.
So lets let God measure things how He decides, and we just and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians. 5:10).
VII. What does God seek? What does the world seek?
God seeks worshippers in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23), so lets try to be those people.
God seeks those whose heart is blameless toward him (2 Chronicles 16:9), so lets work so our heart is blameless towards God.
Lets seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).
And what are those things? Clothing, and food, and drink.
And world measures us by how we clothe and what we eat and drink! The brand, the restaurant – these are used to decide how successful you are.
But God says first seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be taken care of, they are not the defining thing but a result, almost like a side effect.
But the world cares for those things, and God knows too and He will take care (Matt. 6:32).
So, am I successful? What is the answer?
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. (1 Cor. 4:3-6)
It is not my place to judge, not even to judge myself (or my success), just do what I know I need to do and leave the rest to God to figure out.