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Today on MoneyLife with Chuck Bentley

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Biblical View of Success

(Originally aired May 15, 2009)

Download and listen to this program. To download MP3, click here

Chuck Bentley Today we're going to talk about something that maybe you’ve never heard before, a Biblical view of success.

I've looked up quotes from people in the world about success and there are many pithy statements out there. I believe most people have the wrong view of success.

The world teaches that man is the cause of success, which is humanism. Humanism also says that your success in managing money solely depends on your personal skills.

Bible teaches that God is the creator of success. If you don’t see God that way, you’re probably trapped in humanism. Self-help is well packaged humanism that can be cloaked in Christianity by using Scripture taken out of context to appeal to Christians.

So today, we'll look at what God says about success. It's easy for people to accept the world’s definition of financial success.

Abraham set up some very specific criteria for finding the right wife for Isaac. He assigned the task to an unnamed servant. I believe God lead him to do that because He didn’t want anyone taking credit for it. The servant prayed and asked God for help with the task he’d be given.

The first reference to success in Scripture was this impossible task given to an unnamed servant. The servant knew he would only be successful if God granted him success. I think this is a picture of the personal journey God sends each of us on to represent Him.

Our task is to build up His body and represent His kingdom. We shouldn’t take credit for what happens and focus on how we can be praised. God wants us to testify that everything good in our lives is because of Him. That’s the faith God expects of all of us.

God’s Word points out that any success we have comes from the Lord. God is the author of success. We’re not successful unless we’re obeying Him, living according to His principles, and giving Him credit for the blessings.

The world wants to strip God away from every part of success. The world wants to give all the credit to humans.

Another example of success in Scripture is Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was taken in by an Egyptian who gave him responsibilities. He served well, but he was falsely accused of misconduct by Potiphar's wife. Joseph was put into prison but God had favor on him.

The prison warden gave Joseph responsibilities. God gave Joseph success. The kind of suffering Joseph went through is probably not the kind of success that’s attractive to most people. Joseph wasn’t making lemonade out of lemons. God was showing Joseph favor in very unfavorable circumstances. His success was because God was with Him, directing Him, allowing others to see Joseph was wise and faithful.

Joseph knew that his success came from God. He could see God had used his life for good. Joseph was successful because God was in control of events. Joseph's path was jagged with setbacks and misery but God gave him success. You are successful when you are wise, faithful, and give credit to God.

David was successful because God was with him. If you have been in charge of your finances and have felt defeated by the poor results you’ve gotten, consider giving control to God. If someone has convinced you that you are the solution to your financial problems, that’s the root of the problem.

If you think your success depends upon you, you are living by the hollow and deceptive philosophy of humanism. We need help; we need God to intervene. We need to allow God to direct our steps.

We need to be prepared to give Him all the credit for the success. Don’t take credit for your blessings. Real success is being faithful to God and giving Him credit.

Being a Success

To be a success from the biblical perspective, three prerequisites need to be met.

Dealing with Pride

How do you break out of a pride trap? You must vow to serve God and God’s people, and then make yourself accountable to others.

Work as unto the Lord

Being God’s emissary on the job is not difficult; it’s impossible. Only by yielding to Him can the world get a glimpse of Him through us.

Being content

Contentment is knowing God’s plan for your life. Therefore, seek God’s will for your life, then trust God’s promises.