Professional success and the Christian

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless” (Proverbs 2:6-7)

The basic point of Proverbs 2:1-6 is that if you search for wisdom as if it were hidden treasure, you will come to realize the awesome nature of God and understand all that he has for you to know. Then the rest of the chapter speaks of four things that God in his wisdom will give you. The first is “success,” (NIV), and I put it in quotes because there is considerable discussion as to how the Hebrew word should be translated in this context: “help and protection (TEV),” ”advice for the honest (NJB),” “a treasure of common sense (NLT),” “effective counsel (NET).” 
       Taking “success” in the normal sense of “having accomplished one’s goal,” it seems at first to be a rather worldly objective for God to be concerned about. Why would he want us to acquire a profound understanding of who he is and what he does so that we can be successful in whatever it is we do? Feels like a spiritual method to achieve a non-spiritual objective. Does God want us to be successful in life? Well, he certainly wants us to be successful in our desire to live so as to bring honor to his name. But how does that relate to success in a profession or in the market place?
       At the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker I would agree that God wants each of us to be successful in whatever we set out to do. Why? Because a well performed secular act can be an expression of God’s involvement in the life of each believer. It would be hard to argue that for a believer to carry out some daily task in an orderly and efficient way doesn’t say something about their values.  Who we are is clearly seen in what we do. Certainly this leaves no space for a poorly executed task. I believe that God wants each of us to carry out what we do in the most effective manner, for this reflects to a degree what kind of a God he is. 
       Success should not be limited to how the world usually understands it. It is not simply a larger house, a promotion to an even higher position in the company, a wider recognition by prominent people. While these are not to be excluded, success is doing what you do in an effective manner. A weary and disheveled cowboy just in from the range is just as successful as a new college president whose morning shower has left him clean as a whistle. Both are successful if they carry out their responsibilities effectively. For one, the calves that had strayed are back in the pasture; for the other, a good decision has been made regarding future direction of the institution. If both are believers their “success” in life is not unrelated to their relationship to God. 
       So, Here’s to success in all that you do . . . BUT, watch out for pride