A good way of measuring success is by potential. For instance, by the time a child starts middle school the parents of that child have some idea of his/her scholastic potential. They may know that their child excels in math, but reading or science isn’t their best subject. So when report cards come home the parents might see a B in science as a great grade, but would be somewhat disappointed if the child also had a B in math. The child had successfully reached his/her potential in one class, but failed to reach that potential in another. We believe that true success is reaching one’s potential.
But potential can be a tricky concept, because we live our lives striving to reach our full potential; success becomes the goal and often times that success is measured by our material goods. In other words, material wealth becomes the barometer of our success and we full ourselves into thinking we need more because after all, we are just trying to reach our full potential. And that brings us back to our topic of idolatry. Remember, we are God’s chief competition and the idols we erect tend to promote our desires and our will over that of God. Success is one such idol. We may not set out to forsake Jehovah, after all we’re only fulfilling our potential, but success invariably leads us to put more faith and trust in ourselves. And in doing so, we fail to fulfill the potential that God sees in us. To explore this further, let’s turn our attention to the rich, young ruler in Luke 18.18-23.
Turning Material Success Into An Idol.
Idolatry may not spring to our mind as this young man’s problem. After all he had been diligent to keep God’s law from his youth (vss. 20-21) and recognized that Jesus had teachings that would lead to eternal life (vs. 18). However, we must remember that idolatry doesn’t mean we completely forsake Jehovah. We can be idolaters by trying to serve the Lord AND something else. Consider that when Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, the Lord had this indictment against them: “So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away” (2Kings 17.33). The fact that the young man became very sad (vs. 23) when Jesus told him to “sell all that you have and distribute to the poor” (vs. 22) shows that material success had become an idol for this young man. After all, the Lord called for him to “come, follow me” but the man’s wealth was preventing him from doing so. The Lord’s statement that “you cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16.13) was proven to be true!
Let’s turn to one of Jesus’ parables to see why material success so often becomes an idol:
Luke 12:16–19 (ESV)
16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’
Material success becomes an idol because it offers security. Remember, Israel often turned to Baal and other gods because they believed those gods would provide rain and fertile crops; they believed that devotion to those idols would give them security. Likewise, the rich man in Jesus’ parables believed he had “ample goods laid up for many years”. Something to remember the next time you look at your stock portfolio and/or retirement accounts and feel that your future is secure.
Material success becomes an idol because it’s where we find satisfaction. The rich man in the parable planned to “relax, eat, drink, be merry”. In other words, his material success would allow him to do whatever his heart desired. Recall that Solomon also thought that material possessions would lead to satisfaction, but ultimately found only vanity (see Ecclesiastes 2.1-11). He only found true satisfaction when he turned his focus heavenward (Ecclesiastes 12.13-14). Our material success promises great satisfaction, but ultimately we find ourselves dissatisfied because our possessions don’t last (see Matthew 6.19). All the while, Jesus is offering “treasure in heaven” (Luke 18.22).
Material success becomes an idol because it’s where we find significance. Read the parable again and not just how frequently the man credits himself: his thoughts are only on what he will do (I will tear down, I will store) and what he has (my crops, my barns, my grain and my goods). The man constantly credits himself (“I” is found 6 times in the passage, “my” five times) for his success. Significantly, Jesus said this before giving the parable: “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12.15). Significance isn’t found by laying up treasure for ourselves, but by being “rich toward God” (Luke 12.21).
Destroying The Idol Of Material Success
Returning to the account of the rich young ruler, we see that Jesus was very frank in His assessment at how easily our wealth can become an idol: “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18.24-25). However, it’s important to note that Jesus did not say it was impossible! “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18.27). God makes it possible because He shows us how to destroy our idols.
First, the Lord redefines success because He shows us our true potential. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48, ESV). In the same way that the Lord urged Israel to share in His holiness (Leviticus 11.44-45), Jesus exhorts all of His follower to reach their full potential; He calls on us to be like the Father. If we are going to destroy the idol of material success, we must accept the Lord’s assessment of our potential. Our potential isn’t defined by the size of our houses, the quality of our cars or the amount of money we have invested. Our potential is defined by the glory of the One who created us in His image. Therefore, success can only be obtained by heeding Jesus’ call to “come, follow Me” (Luke 18.22).
Second, we can destroy the idol of material success by being reminded that our material blessings don’t originate with us, but with God. Recall that the parable of the rich fool began by stating “the land of a rich man produced plentifully” (Luke 12.16). In his rush to congratulate himself for all of his success, the rich fool forgot the truth that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24.1). The man’s material wealth was a blessing from God, not the product of his own hands. And since our material possessions are blessings from God, they should be used for His purposes. “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:17–19, ESV)
A Prayer To Consider
The Lord gave numerous warnings regarding wealth for good reason; truly it is difficult “for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18.24). Our material success easily becomes an idol that takes our hearts away from the Lord. We who live in such an affluent society should consider one of the prayers of the wise man: “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8–9, ESV)
Amen.
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