The Test of Success (3 of 3)
Series: Gideon: Hero to Zero
Bob Ingle
Judges 8
Poet Charles Bukowski once said, ''Success is always dangerous. It can make a jerk out of anyone.''
Does that include Christians? Of course it does. Every Christian is tempted, in subtle ways, to take personal credit for what only God and His grace could produce.
If we're not careful, we can begin to think all of the blessings, and all of the success, is more about who we are and less about who God is. We might even say, 'Obviously, God approves of who I am because He is blessing what I do.' But this is where we wrong. You see, any success in life or ministry should not be interpreted as endorsement of OUR character; it is to be understood as a fuller revelation of GOD'S character. All the blessings you receive and all the success you experience says less about your goodness, and much, much more about God's.
Do you realize there are countless times in your life when God blesses you abundantly even though you've been selfish, hateful, lustful, prideful, arrogant, or greedy? He doesn't bless you because you've been that way, but in spite of you being that way. Why? Because God's grace is not a result of your awesomeness, but His. When you experience God's blessing even when you're not faithful, not humble, not obedient, not godly, it is an expression of His faithfulness, patience, love, mercy, tenderness, and compassion. Blessings and the evidences of success should not be seen as God's full endorsement of what you're doing or what you've become. The reality is most of us grow deeper in adversity but grow dumber in prosperity. Success is seductive. It ignites our pride and stunts our faith.
Last week, in Judges 7, we saw General Gideon blessed with an incredible victory that could only be attributed to the power and glory of God. The Israelite army was on one side of the battlefield with only 32,000 soldiers. On the other side was the Midianite army a 135,000 strong. B ...
Series: Gideon: Hero to Zero
Bob Ingle
Judges 8
Poet Charles Bukowski once said, ''Success is always dangerous. It can make a jerk out of anyone.''
Does that include Christians? Of course it does. Every Christian is tempted, in subtle ways, to take personal credit for what only God and His grace could produce.
If we're not careful, we can begin to think all of the blessings, and all of the success, is more about who we are and less about who God is. We might even say, 'Obviously, God approves of who I am because He is blessing what I do.' But this is where we wrong. You see, any success in life or ministry should not be interpreted as endorsement of OUR character; it is to be understood as a fuller revelation of GOD'S character. All the blessings you receive and all the success you experience says less about your goodness, and much, much more about God's.
Do you realize there are countless times in your life when God blesses you abundantly even though you've been selfish, hateful, lustful, prideful, arrogant, or greedy? He doesn't bless you because you've been that way, but in spite of you being that way. Why? Because God's grace is not a result of your awesomeness, but His. When you experience God's blessing even when you're not faithful, not humble, not obedient, not godly, it is an expression of His faithfulness, patience, love, mercy, tenderness, and compassion. Blessings and the evidences of success should not be seen as God's full endorsement of what you're doing or what you've become. The reality is most of us grow deeper in adversity but grow dumber in prosperity. Success is seductive. It ignites our pride and stunts our faith.
Last week, in Judges 7, we saw General Gideon blessed with an incredible victory that could only be attributed to the power and glory of God. The Israelite army was on one side of the battlefield with only 32,000 soldiers. On the other side was the Midianite army a 135,000 strong. B ...
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