Life. success

To succeed is literally ‘to go after’. (As in: John Adams succeeded George Washington as president.)
More practically, the question of success is, “What do you go after?” What is your idea of success? How about John Adams?

John Adams
Adams' two terms as Vice President were frustrating experiences for a man of his vigor, intellect, and vanity. He complained to his wife Abigail, "My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived."

On November 1, 1800, Adams arrived in the new Capital City to take up his residence in the White House. On his second evening in its damp, unfinished rooms, he wrote his wife, "Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof." Isn’t that a great prayer?

Statistics on American views of success
A 2006 study conducted by Success magazine uncovered some surprising insights into the way Americans view success. For example, in response to the phrase, "Success in business means…," 60 percent of the respondents selected "Adding value to the lives of others." Only 18.8 percent said success meant "Making a lot of money."

The following are results for the question, "What is the single most important element for success?"

• Faith (41%)
• Family (25%)
• Balanced life (12%)
• Happiness (7%)

In addition, respondents were asked to identify "The most important factors for success":

• Good relationship with family (90%)
• Good relationship with spouse (89%)
• Good relationship with God (86%)
• Freedom to do what you want (62%)
• Financial security (57%)
• Good career (47%)
• Leaving a legacy (43%)
• Money/wealth (32%)

"The New American Dream," Success (Summer 2006), p. 88

How do you define success? What are you looking for?

Let’s take this discussion back to Ecclesiastes for consideration by Solomon, traditionally held to be the writer of Ecclesiastes and certainly one of the most successful people, by most standards, ever to have lived. If anybody can give us an accurate assessment of success, he can. Can success, and the determined pursuit of success, give meaning and purpose to life?

Ecclesiastes 4:4-8 (NKJV)
4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. 5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. 6 Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. 7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun: 8 There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 (NKJV)
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, They increase who eat them; So what profit have the owners Except to see them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. 13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. 14 But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? 17 All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. 18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

There are three questions that Solomon asks while observing the value of success. One is in 4:8, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” In 5:11 the question is asked, “So what profit have the owners?” And in 5:16 a similar question, “What profit has he who has labored for the wind?”

The first and most important application I would like to make today is:

Question Success

You have probably seen the bumper sticker: Question Authority. I’m not a big fan of that bumper sticker or of that philosophy in general, but it is a popular idea. Question authority. Don’t just go along and do what your told without speaking up and saying, “Why? What am I doing this for?” Otherwise you may be forced into doing something that really isn’t in your best interest.

My idea is a different bumper sticker: Question Success. For many people success – the promise and pursuit of success – is really their greatest authority. Many of us follow the path of success without question as to where it may lead us. All I know is I’ve got to have more. I’ve got to beat that guy out. I’ve got to climb the corporate ladder of success.

Solomon teaches us to question success, don’t just following blindly along. Where is your pursuit of success leading you? What is the impact on those around you? To use and old saying, “Is the juice really worth the squeeze?”

THREE QUESTIONS ABOUT SUCCESS
Let’s look at these three questions as we, like Solomon, question the pursuit of success.

1. Who benefits from my success? (Circle the word ‘Who’)

Chapter 4 verse 8 says, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?”

This is an important question. Who am I benefiting? Is it really the person or people that I want to be benefiting?

This is the crux of the classic tragedy regarding people who pour themselves into their work to get ahead and be a success. Most would probably say to the one who is feeling neglected, “But I’m doing it for you” or “It’s all for you and the kids.” Is that really true? Then give them what they really want – you.

• Who really matters in your life?

What you pursue to be successful at communicates what really matters to you. And who you spend your efforts on communicates who really matters. What are you communicating?
If you spent the same time and resources on your marriage as you do on your work, how great would your marriage be?

2. What is the immediate benefit? (Circle the word ‘immediate’)

Ecclesiases 5:11, “So what profit have the owners?” (‘Have’ is in the present tense)

Many, many people give their entire life to pursuing great success through fame, fortune or fantastic accomplishment. Success in the here and now is what they’re after. According to Solomon’s observations, what do they get for their troubles?

The ‘benefits’ of success:
• Envy (Eccl 4:4 “Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.”)

Drive for success creates competition. In most of our minds, being successful means being the best, or at least among the best. I have to be the prettiest, or get the best grades, or receive promotions the fastest, etc. When someone else is more successful, it just means I have to work that much harder. When someone else receives recognition for their success it can create envy in me. When I receive recognition above another then it can create envy in them.

With a craving for success comes envy. If it weren’t for the competition to succeed, there would be no envy.

For some people, undoubtedly, the very definition of success is the envy of your neighbors.

• Dissatisfaction (Eccl 5:10 “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.”)

It’s a trick! You may think that success will satisfy, but it doesn’t. It keeps you wanting more.

Quarterback Tom Brady seeks more
Tom Brady, the quarterback of the New England Patriots, is not only one of the NFL's best players, he is also one of the NFL's best stories.

At the tender age of 28, he has already won three Super Bowls, an accomplishment that ranks him with some of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game. Brady's loss to the Denver Broncos in the 2005 playoffs was his first in the playoffs, compared with 10 playoff wins in the last four years.

But with all of Brady's fame and career accomplishments, he told 60 Minutes: "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is what is. I reached my goal, my dream, my life.' Me, I think, God, it's got to be more than this. I mean this isn't, this can't be, what it's all cracked up to be."

"What's the answer?" asked interviewer Steve Kroft. "I wish I knew," Brady replied. "I wish I knew."

• More Responsibility (Eccl 5:11 “When goods increase, They increase who eat them”)

In other words, the more you have the more mouths to feed and the more bills to pay. The more successful you are the more people are counting on you. Your actions don’t just affect you, they affect other people as well.

• Sleeplessness (Eccl 5:12 “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.”)

This could be speaking of working longer hours or of worry. Both apply here. A desperate drive for material success takes away one of the most valuable commodities that we have – sleep. First, you stay up nights trying to get ahead and worried that you may never make it. Then there is the constant press to maintain what you have. What if the market drops? What if the overtime hours dissapear?

When God is your source, there is nothing to fear.

• Selfishness (Eccl 5:13 “There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.”)

A drive for success becomes necessarily selfish. Selfishness is to my own hurt. Selfishness will isolate me from others until I am all alone. When possessions are more important than people, it is a severe evil. Scripture says that what you have – in gifts, resources and time – are not for you but are given to you by God for those in need. They are to bring us together, not to isolate us. Selfishness is like stealing from God.

• Same troubles (Eccl 5:17 “All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.”)

Great success and riches do not provide immunity from life’s problems that affect all of us. In fact, it probably increases them. You still have pain. You still experience heartache. You still face death. You still face the same problems.

Just this last week were were reminded of this with the death of Anna Nicole Smith. She wanted to be the next Marilyn Monroe and went to great lengths for fame and fortune. She died and tragic and mysterious death. No one is immune.

3. What is the eternal benefit? (Circle the word ‘eternal’)

The final question is in verse 16 of chapter 5, “And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?” The two verb tenses ‘shall he go’ and ‘who has labored’ gives us a different perspective. Now the question is asked from the standpoint of the future (shall he) over completed actions (has labored).

• Look from an eternal perspective.

Every question of success should include the question, “What impact will this have for eternity?”
Ray Romano goes to work on his soul
After nine seasons, the popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond broadcast its final episode in May of 2005. The star of the show, Ray Romano, went from life as a struggling stand-up comedian to one of the highest-paid actors on television.

At the conclusion of the last day’s filming, Romano spoke to the studio audience, reflecting on his past and his future. He read from a note his brothers had stuck in his luggage the day he moved from New York to Hollywood, nine years earlier.

“My older brother Richard wrote, ‘What does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?’” said a tearful Romano. “Now I’m going to work on my soul.”
Ray Romano, "Biography," A&E

• Jesus radically redefined success.

All we have to do is look at Jesus to be challenged in our understanding of success.

The words of Jesus
Jesus describes success and blessing in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12). He said blessed (successful) are those who are poor in spirit, and those who mourn, and the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Those things would need a serious rewrite today to describe our ideas of success.

Jesus said if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, a real success, than you be the servant of all. (Mark 9:35)

Jesus didn’t go along with the idea that riches show God’s favor and poverty is His punishment. He told a story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The beggar spent eternity in comfort and the rich man was in torment.

Jesus told the rich, young ruler, “One thing you lack. Give everything away.” (Luke 18:18-27). How radical is that?

And it was Jesus who Ray Romano’s brother quoted from Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The life of Jesus
One final question: Was Jesus a success? If you would have been standing by the cross that day, would you have said, “Now, there is a success?” In worldly standards, He wasn’t a success at all. In eternity standards, the greatest success ever.

Now, let’s go and be that kind of success.

CONCLUSION
Consider your life. Has the pursuit of success, in any form, distracted you from who and what is really important?