Quote of the Week

"You may feel you are in a nothing job. Because of the Curse, your job may involve painful toil and little satisfaction. But you can glorify God where you are by your heart attitude. You may feel your job is not holy but it is if you see it so and do it for God's glory."

R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man, p. 151

John Calvin on How to Think About Success

The Desiring God blog poses questions about success and draws answers from the wisdom of reformer John Calvin. On how to battle the sinful pursuit of success and power, here is what John Calvin says -

"Therefore, to avoid similar entanglements, the course which Christian men must follow is this: first, they must not long for, or hope for, or think of any kind of prosperity apart from the blessing of God; on it they must cast themselves, and there safely and confidently recline."

This is, to say the least, an uncommon mindset in corporate America. Yet, I'm intrigued by the radical call to disavow and disassociate oneself with any notion of prosperity that is apart from the blessing of God. It disposes of the false notion that success is naturally indicative of God's blessing. It beckons us to pursue God's blessing first and foremost, regardless of whether it results in material wealth or success. Calvin's exhortation is not unlike Jesus' instruction in Matthew 6 to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you".

What about the Christian worker who encounters a lack of success? Does Calvin have anything to say to him/her in the midst of failure?

"Lastly, if our success is not equal to our wish and hope, we shall, however, be kept from impatience and detestation of our condition, whatever it be, knowing that so to feel were to murmur against God, at whose pleasure riches and poverty, contempt and honours, are dispensed."

All of us are subject to failure in this world. Part of this is circumstantial - we live in an imperfect, fallen world where sin abounds. Laziness, office politics, sinful judgments and contentious meetings are all evidences of this. Yet, another part is by design - we are limited beings - limited in talents, time and resources. Sometimes, we fail because of our sin, sometimes as a result of our limitations. The possibility of failure is a reminder that we need God all the time - not only in the difficult, unbearable moments of life but also in the small, mundane moments as well. Calvin reminds us of the importance of thinking rightly about God's sovereign will over our lives. To despise our lack of success or troubled condition is to murmur against God. It is to bring a charge against the one who "changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others" (Daniel 2:21)

Success - how we think about it, pursue it and respond when we don't have it - says so much about what we truly believe.

How to Fail Like a Christian

Failure - we've all had to deal with it. Even if you consider yourself to be successful, you've probably had to deal with some failure at every stage of life. The big issue for us isn't whether we fail but how we respond when we fail.

I've found that how I actually deal with failure says a lot about what I really believe about God and His work in my life. While I neither seek failure nor prefer it, it's helpful to view failure with a Biblical perspective when I confront it. Here are three "good" things that can be accomplished through failure.

First, we learn of our limitations. We're limited in our talents, limited in our effort and even limited in our character. We are reminded that we're finite and God is not. God is unlimited in His ability to affect His universe:

"Our God is in the heavens and he does all that he pleases" (Psalm 115:3).

God never tires or sleeps:

"He will not let your foot be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold He who keeps Israel who neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121: 3-4)

Second, through failure, we are disciplined and refined. God often works in our lives more prominently through hardship and failures than through prosperity and success. Through failure, God works to free us from the siren songs of this world - particularly the love of the "praise of men". I've discovered that much of my "fear of failure" actually stems from a craving for recognition and praise. Understanding this brings forth the seed of repentance and I'm comforted that God is at work even in the midst of failure.

Finally, failure draws the Christian to God because we are one step nearer to the end of ourselves. We better understand our limitations and our weaknesses. We are not crushed by failure but humbled by it. When we experience the pain of failure, we are drawn to trust in our Savior who died a failure in the sight of men but accomplished more than anyone perceived at the time.

By responding to failure in this way, we testify to the reality of the invisible God we love and serve.