Successfully successful
The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. –1 Kings 11:9 (NIV)
The story of Solomon in 1 Kings 1-12 (recounted in 2 Chronicles 1-10), is a little different than what we learned in Sunday school. Not that the kids’ version was inaccurate, just incomplete. As I spent time there this week, I was undeniably impressed with Solomon’s wisdom, fame, wealth, and organizational prowess. During his reign, the nation of Israel seemed on the cusp of becoming a predominant world power.
Then it stopped. The king with the humility to ask God for knowledge and discernment, the one who received unmatched wisdom, PLUS riches, influence and long life, became a fool. He was neither the first nor the last to do so. History shows that humans tend to have a hard time dealing with success. Whether on a personal, corporate, or national level, the arc of “success”, for most, is finite and predictable.
The pattern may vary, but almost always includes these steps:
Request for blessing
Provision of blessing
Acknowledgment/gratitude for blessing
Expectation of blessing – ”I’ve earned” or “I deserve”
Claiming of credit – “by my own power, wits, skill, strength, etc.”
Self-satisfaction/self-sufficiency
Pride and arrogance – “I’m special” or “I’m better than you”
Feeling of entitlement – “It’s only right…”
Becoming protective of “what’s MINE”
Complacency/laziness/boredom
Failure to maintain the relationship that yields blessing
Loss of blessing
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. –1 Peter 5:6 (NIV)
Arrogance and entitlement replace humility and gratitude. Desire for the gift outweighs desire for the Giver. Loss of the blessing eventually follows. When we chase the wrong thing, we’ll lose even when we’ve won.
I recently heard some definitions of prosperity and success that seemed to carry eternal relevance. If we think of Prosperity as being rich in our relationship with God, and Success as having our priorities and energies aligned with God’s purpose for our lives, does that change things? And if so, how do we make those part of our lives?
I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. –Psalm 16:8 (NASB)
The odds of my staying prosperous and successful increase exponentially if I can break from my fleshly pattern and keep an attitude of gratitude and humility. I find such a posture made easier by coming often before God. Spending time in His presence provides powerful perspective: He is God; I am not. Everything I am, everything I have, everything I accomplish is from His gracious hand. It belongs to Him. It is to be used for His glory. Not coincidentally, when our focus is on TRUE success, He provides all that is otherwise needed, often in abundance. He equips us to be a blessing.
For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. –Romans 11:36 (NIV)
Praying we learn to be successful at being successful.