In writing this blog I thought perhaps I should mention New Year’s resolutions or something uplifting…. perhaps our chance to start again with new intentions of being a better person than we were last year. But there are all sorts of devotionals and prayers on how to walk with God and reassurances of God’s love for us etc etc. But what about a theology in which we are losers!! Ever thought of that? What does this mean anyway?
What is success really? Most of us measure success in several ways. Perhaps wealth, prestige, or fame might be included. The list goes on. There is nothing innately wrong with success and it may well be a legitimate measure of achievement. But success is not necessarily better. Success is not necessarily an indication of divine approval, and acceptance by society is not necessarily a confirmation of a godly character.
For those who do not know God, success is measured by earthly components. Money in the bank, name on billboards, Emmy awards, winning the lottery! However, wealth and health do not necessarily reflect God’s blessing and poverty and sickness do not necessarily reflect His displeasure.
Concerning the things of this world Peter wrote. “……though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials to test the genuineness of your faith” (1Pet. 1: 6). Wow. Does that mean that I must suffer to be pleasing to God? No, I don’t think this is what Peter means. However, life isn’t easy and bad things do happen to good people……which makes being a Christian all the more important.
God is looking for faithful disciples. He’s not interested in our wealth but perhaps how we use it. He’s not interested in our success but in how we share our faith. He’s not interested in super stars but only super servants!
When God wrote the epitaph of Moses, He simply said, “Moses my servant is dead.” God didn’t say Moses the prophet is dead or Moses the lawgiver is dead, or Moses the miracle worker is dead. However, being a servant of God was the most important thing that could be said of Moses!
The church today needs to leave the idea of success as measured in the size of attendance, the notoriety of the minister, the amount of money in the offering plate or the number of spectacles on stage.
What the church needs today is a theology for losers, A theology for men and women who may not achieve success as the world counts success; a theology that does not worship at the shrine of notoriety or bigness; a theology that understands that God does not normally speak through the rich and famous but through the hearts and minds of His servants……..His disciples. That means you and me. He wants us there in the ordinary circumstances of life, to help bring faith and hope to others. We are indeed losers in name only. Our success is in our actions and our faith.
AbideLines 