A thought by
Larry Osborne,
(2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality
for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 161). The
Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to
Amazon.com to buy the book.)
This is an
area we usually use as a test of our spiritually but it’s not a good test.
Larry says,
“Whether I'm succeeding or failing has little or nothing to do with whether I'm
on the right path. Yet most of us tend to judge our relationship with God by
how things are going. When everything goes well, we assume we're on pretty good
terms. If we're on a roll, it's because he's really pleased. When the roof
caves in, we wonder what we did to tick him off. But success and failure reveal nothing about
our spirituality. Even being used mightily by God is not a sure sign we're on
good terms.”
Go back in
the Old Testament and read the stories of Job or Samson. Larry says, “Based on the visible short-term
results, we'd never guess that Job was the apple of God's eye or that Samson
was displeasing God with his pursuit of forbidden women, while still winning
great battles for God.”
He then
says, “The results I'm experiencing—whether good, bad, or ugly— prove nothing.
God's plan and handiwork have always been hard to see in the moment. They're
best viewed and evaluated through life's rearview mirror, often long after
we've passed through a particularly treacherous valley or enjoyed the pleasures
of fleeting success. The only sure and reliable sign that I'm on good terms
with God is my obedience to his commands and laws. This alone proves that I
know him and love him.”
As Jesus said
in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
Larry then
says, “Success’s great miscalculation is the assumption that it always springs
from God's favor—and the greater the success, the greater his favor. The truth
is, success springs from many sources. God's favor may or may not be one of
them. Most Christians know this—on an intellectual or theological level. But
the connection between success and God's blessings is so deeply ingrained that
when real life happens, we quickly forget.”
Success is not the key. Obedience is
what he wants.
So how are we doing?
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