I have been reading Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods in which he addresses idols in our lives. Two nights ago I came to his chapter called “The Seduction of Success.” What a challenging chapter. Am I basing my significance on success, what I achieve or fail to achieve? On one level I know that my significance comes from being an image-bearer of God. It comes through what Jesus did for me. My significance is based on who God made me to be through creation and in Christ, not on what I do. And yet…. There is the constant temptation to base our worth on what we accomplish, what we achieve. To love achievement, to trust achievement, to obey achievement as a god. To do, do, do. So I started asking questions:
Am I teaching a seminar at an upcoming conference (ironically on idols – hence the reason I am reading the book) out of a desire to serve God, or to add another level of achievement?
Do I blog to minister to people out of love for God or to be known, to achieve? How does my intereaction with my statistics relate to this question?
Do I minister as a pastor and start up new ministries to minister to people out of a love for God, or to achieve one more success, to pastor a “successful” church?
There is nothing wrong with achievement. As Keller notes, our idols are good things that we have turned into gods. The issue is not achievement, but motive and goal. Is my life about God or about what I do, what I accomplish – my achievements, my success?
What about you?
Brian J. Mikul 
Nice one! If I could write like this I would be well happpy. The more I read articles of such quality as this (which is rare), the more I think there could be a future for the Net. Keep it up, as it were.
Subtle line between our desire to do strictly for God and the battle of its possible meaning to us. With me, it is like the Lord is working on the front end of what He has in store, to rid of all the unheathy ambition, and yet not to do away with ambition.
I attended a siminar last night, and will again today. The topic is sharing the gospel, training those who respond to it, to then send out to do the same. I must admit it put a lot of meat on the bones of what I feel the Lord has been working in to me.
The speaker is a worldwide church planter. His method is to start with one new convert and build. I didn’t come away with grand ideas of what this might do for me, but more how it all fit into what I feel He has been working into me. The ambition now is to do for Him; to work the field He gives me to work.
Could say much more, but I will spare you for now.
Mike