Chasing Success
Read the Text: Luke 12
Memorize the Text: And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels in heaven. (Luke 12:8)
Consider the Text: Luke 12:16-21
How do you define success? Once you define how to measure success. Do you chase after success aggressively? The desire to become successful becomes an idol that hinders us from living faithfully before the Lord because the pursuit attempts to fulfill the desire of the flesh. The same threat exists for the church as well. Churches often identify metrics to measure the success or failure of the ministry of the local church. In Luke 12, Jesus told a story that warned of the threat of chasing after success that comes from the metrics defined by the flesh.
The ability to identify the threat of chasing success begins by understanding SUCCESS IN HUMAN EYES. The parable in Luke 12:16-21 describes the temptation of chasing after success. The standards of success for the man were defined by the culture and the world. His worth became measured in an earthly metric that stroked his ego and prompted him to live in the glory of a momentary award. When success becomes measures by human eyes, the momentary reward becomes the defining pursuit in life.
When human success becomes the primary pursuit in life, the individual chases after the goal in his or her strength. In the first several verses of the parable, the man used the term “I” five times to show the reliance upon his own ability. The work of the man in the chase of success comes from his physical ability and capability to gain the desired goal. The pursuit becomes centered on the man’s work and his achievements flow from his own power.
The ultimate action that showed the man’s chasing of success appeared in his plan to build bigger barns. Such an act would symbolize his success and draw the attention of others to elevate his status in life. He would have flaunted his worth through the vast amount of harvest he reaped. This harvest would have provided a great sense of earthly stability. This pursuit had an outward appearance of certainty, but the fleshly basis meant that rested on the human view of success.
The proper way to set goals to chase comes from understanding SUCCESS IN GOD’S EYES. The metrics of the Lord flow from truth and not the opinions of humanity. God does not depend upon us to define success, but instead develops metric that come from truth. In Proverbs 3:1-4, Solomon declared that success includes the realities that we: (1) Know the Truth, (2) Keep the Truth, and (3) Live in the Truth.
The goal of success through God’s eyes promotes the development of God’s kingdom. In Matthew 16, Jesus affirmed Peter’s acknowledgement of Jesus being the Messiah and the Rock on which the kingdom will be constructed. The Rock becomes the foundation for the kingdom to rest and grow. The declaration of Christ becomes the rally cry of the church and growth becomes dependent not on gaining a crowd, but on developing disciples.
Unlike the success in the eyes of humanity, success, according to the Lord, exists as a team function. The pursuit of success does not occur as a solo act but happens as believers join as a family of God and the body of Christ and work together for the Kingdom of God. Throughout the New Testament, we see this modeled as various people were sent out on mission in pairs. Jesus sent witnesses out 2x2 and Paul ministered with people like Barnabas, John Mark, and Timothy. Thus, success must become pursued as a team.
Once the understanding of success becomes clear, then we need to learn how to CHASE GODLY SUCCESS. To chase godly success, we must begin by capturing the vision of God. This means that we come to the place of recognizing the reality of the situation around us and seeking the desire of the Lord. This means that we seek to understand the future that God calls us to and begin to pursue that in faithfulness.
The pursuit of God’s desires comes with we commit to God’s leading in life. The commitment is a dedication to carry out the vision of the Lord. This means that we become dedicating to the Lord guiding and leading every aspect of our life. He becomes the guide for our steps and the definer of our success. The key commitment comes as making oneself available for God to use and trusting that God takes the available and makes them able.
The last critical measure of proper chasing of godly success comes in the carrying out of the mission. We can make a commitment, but the commitment remains mere words until it becomes an action being carried out. When we carry out the mission of God, we commit to being to part of the body that the Lord has called us to and carry out that task. Success in God’s eyes occurs when believers carry out the mission of God in truth and obedience and focus on the glorification of the Lord and the expansion of God’s kingdom.
As we understand the importance of chasing after Godly success, we must measure and analyze our pursuit. We need to make sure that our goals are the desires and purposes of the Lord and not achievements set by worldly metrics. We must live in a manner that seeks to honor the Lord by living in biblical faithfulness and overcome the threat to compromise the truth for the sake of earthly glory. What success are you chasing? Are you seeking the approval of humanity or the approval of God?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
