Biblical "Success"

“I wonder if I’ll ever be successful,” people say to us, all the time. Or, “What if I never attain success?” (It might even be something we’ve said ourselves, on occasion!) 

The best response Danielle has found over the years is to ask the question: “Successful at what?” 

Success or failure can only be measured by defining what we’d be failing or succeeding at. It sounds obvious, but most the time, a nebulous notion of “success” leaves the actual qualifications unnamed: a certain income bracket (how much money is enough?), or a certain level of fame (how many instagram followers are enough?), or a certain amount of accolades (an EGOT? A Pulitzer?) are the markers we are often looking at, and at best, they’re ill-defined, and at worst, for Christians, they’re probably idols. 

For Christians, success can only be defined by the voice of God. According to the Bible, He has created us to do specific good works that He chose for us before we were born. We succeed if we walk according to our calling. But many of us lack a good Biblical understanding of what calling is.  

For instance, considering whether or not to take jobs on her Sabbath, Amy once said; “But I’m called to be an actor!” She was specifically sensing God saying to turn these jobs down…BUT ALSO, how could she ever succeed if she didn’t prioritize acting first? 

Our calling has become conflated with our jobs. Even non-Christians use this word to talk about choosing careers; graduations are full of inspirational speakers telling us to find our calling and change the world. 

“You’re not called to be an actor, Amy.” Amy heard God gently correct her theology.

A job is just a job. It might be a job we dedicate a lot of time to. It might be a job we like. It might even be ministry, or helpful to others. But actions and things have no voice to call us.

Calling isn’t about what being called to do. It’s about hearing a voice, responding to a caller. Calling isn’t a matter of work, it’s a matter of relationship. 

Amy heard God tell her: “You’re called to Me.” 

And this is a Biblical thought. 

Here is a summary of where our blogs have taken us so far: If we never become famous, we are still called to tenacious action-oriented faith, where we aim for love, and delight in each step of the process. 

Love and faith in process. In other words, Biblical success is obedience to God’s voice. And we can take examples from the Bible to understand our callings, too: a bad example, and a good example, of the kings of Israel. 

Israel had a king; their first king, in fact. But Saul started to take his position as king more . seriously than his obedience to God. The Bible notes a turning point in the middle of a battle (1 Samuel 13); after waiting seven days, Saul gives up on Samuel, and offers a sacrifice himself. He did what he thought he had to do in order to assuage his fears and his armies. He didn’t wait for God.

Like Amy, he said, “But I’m called to be a king.”

But if Saul was a picture of false calling, David, the one who came after him, is a picture of living in true calling. And we must warn you: it’s not at all smooth sailing for him. 

In 1 Samuel 16, David is anointed in front of his family… But he doesn’t actually become king for another 20 years. 

First, he goes back to tending sheep. In chapter 17 he emerges from shepherding to bring lunch to his older brothers on the frontlines. He faces Goliath when no one else will…and kills him! He becomes a war hero, but this actually jeopardizes his favor at court. Saul sends him on dangerous campaigns, jealous of his popularity and hoping he dies (chapter 18) and then tries to kill David himself (chapter 19) even as David flees in exile for years and years (chapter 22-30).

All throughout, David is presented with multiple opportunities to kill the king and become king himself…

But he never takes it. He repeatedly spared the life of someone who wanted to kill him – even when his friends said it was God’s will (1 Samuel 26:8).

“But you’re called to be a king,” they said. 

Because he knows: he’s not called to the position. He’s called to the God who called both him and Saul, and who is working out a plan in His own timing – Frustrating as it may be. 

Saul finally dies, and David finally becomes King of all Israel maaaaany years later in 2 Samuel 5. 

Then you know what? Even when David becomes king, he fails at kingship in some significant ways. Yet still, the Bible remembers him as “the man after God’s own heart,” and God makes an unbreakable covenant to restore his line to the kingship over and over again after that point. 

David is clearly, Biblically, a picture of success. He is frequently talked of as an example to look to. 

He did not succeed by being king. He succeeded by being wholly submitted to God.

This is what Jesus means when he says all the commandments can be summed up in “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s easy to define the commandments in terms of things and actions that you should be doing more or less of. But instead, Jesus reminds us of what Saul and David exemplified so many years before: Calling is about relationship. 

You can successfully listen and follow for 20 years. You can’t successfully do something you don’t have the opportunity to do…for 20 years. 

Amy has been learning the hard lesson: She can be successful in her calling, regardless of accolades or finances or fame or even a certain amount of “work” as an actor. 

Danielle is constantly processing: she can be successful in her calling, regardless of if her books are ever published.

We cannot be called by things. We are called by a Person. And our identity is grounded in something unshakeable. 

This is what Jesus means when he says all the commandments can be summed up in “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If your art is a practice of faithfulness to God, and an exercise of generosity with others, you are succeeding at your calling. 

Are you listening to the voice of the one who’s calling you? 

How are you defining your success?