Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from “The Adult Sabbath School Guide” is titled “Planning for Success”. What an interesting word… “success”. It has several definitions, according to “Merriam-Webster” and “Dictionary.com”. It means:
1. “the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like”.
2. “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals”.
Hmmm… definition #2 sounds a lot like “succeed”. And so it should. The two words (success and succeed) are inextricably related. Succeed has an added meaning then just “the accomplishment of one’s goals” or “to attain a desired object or end”. Succeed also means, “to come next after another in office or position or in possession of an estate”. Which means “to come after as heir or successor”.
Oh. This puts a different slant on the word success. It also means to be a successor or heir. And now we have entered a dimension that is immensely spiritual. To the Christian, to truly succeed is to be a successor of Christ. An heir of Christ. To have the things of Christ. To have His character. To love what He loves and to hate what He hates. To be “Him” on this earth. To be “as if” you were Him.
Isn’t this the “success” you and I really want? Isn’t this the end-goal of all material wealth, all material possessions? Is not this the goal of life itself?
I appreciate the quarterly for tackling the rudimentary topic of “Managing for the Master – till He comes” (quarterly introduction pg. 2). The “practical lessons” (quarterly introduction pg. 3) covered each week elaborate on this topic. But I find that these practical lessons are but the manifestation of the larger issues of life. The outworking of the very spiritual motivation we seek.
All of us have sensed to some degree, the futility of following our secular world. Of defining “success” in secular terms. So for me, I need to get to the root of things. To see the intent of God in the rudimentary things of life. In the word “successor” I find the truer basis for “success”. I desire and strive to be that “successor” for the things of Christ. On my own, I can find earthly success. But only in an intimate relationship with Christ can I even become a true “successor”.
Have you noticed that God’s economy is not like man’s? As sinners we strive to make wise investments. We plan and negotiate. We can devise and scheme. We can plot and connive. We can hover over our investments with the intensity of Ebenezer Scrooge over his counting desk. And in this success, we can so totally miss being Christ’s successor. From a secular point of view, the “price” Christ “paid” for us sinners is so totally out of whack with any common sense. He poured-out all of heaven for broken human beings. So, so broken we are. Broken vessels full of tears. Seemingly worthless. Just broken beyond repair.
I will close this “thought” with an extended quote from Paul Harvey. It was his broadcast each Easter. He called it, “The Story of the Birds”.
There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for Those birds, son?"
"Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing -- they ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill.
He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.
Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story. One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.
"Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, How to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!"
"How much?" He asked again.
Satan looked intently at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.
With brotherly love,
Jim