Thursday, February 14, 2008

Success in God's Terms

Jim:

Genesis 39:1-23
Verse 2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man…” As the story unfolds Joseph’s success will ultimately be in God’s terms and it will lead to life for his brothers and father. How many of us define success in terms of what God is doing in our lives? I know I have a hard time not worrying about where my career is headed or how I’m doing financially. And yet, ultimately, it is in God’s terms that true success is found, and this success often takes shape around the relationships we have with others and how we are able to enrich other lives and be enriched by others in turn. That is the nature of the community of faith. In his song “Within You, Without You” George Harrison sings, “When you’ve looked beyond yourself, you may find peace of mind is waiting there.” In terms of success I think he is absolutely right. What God gives us is to be shared. Success in God’s terms takes many shapes, but it generally involves our ability to relate to others and to share of ourselves.

1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15
Similarly Paul offers these words to the church in Corinth: “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (v. 3:7). Success in God’s terms is the work of God. Even when we “succeed” we must give God the glory for it is God who is active. We each have our role to play, we each have gifts to share, but God it is the one who brings our actions to fruition.

Mark 2:1-12
According to Mark, when some scribes heard Jesus forgive the sins of a paralyzed man they had serious qualms. “Why does this fellow speak in this way?” they wondered. “It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins by God alone?” (v. 7). And of course that’s the point. God was forgiving the sins of the paralyzed man. But the scribes, the ones who should have known best, did not recognize God’s work when it was right in front of them. We must also beware not to make assumptions about what God “would” or “wouldn’t” do, or we may find ourselves missing the point. Success in God’s terms takes many forms and really does not depend on our approval. God is working out a purpose that will likely surprise us in many ways. The scribes also should have been delighted to see the paralyzed man healed, they should have rejoiced that one who had suffered so was now free from this horrible condition. But they could not let go of their assumptions even long enough to see the grace at work in another life. Again, what God gives us is to be shared, and success in God’s terms often involves our ability to relate to others in the light of God’s grace.

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