"...[F]or you have done for us all our works" (Isaiah 26:12, ESV).
"... Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6, ESV).
We tend to see worldly success as a sign of God's approval, or even prosperity as a keynote of spirituality; however, only God can judge true success, because He knows how faithful we are; we are not called to success, but to faithfulness, in the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. God does promise to prosper us if we are in His will and doing what He calls us to do. God does promise to prosper us, but not in human means when we set out to do something in the name of the Lord and God is in it--that's success! Finding this calling.
We all have a work to do, and it will be worth it in the judgment to hear our Lord say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Even Jesus said that He had completed the work that God had given Him to do. He was primarily, a man on a mission extraordinaire, and this is not a bad model for us, once we feel led to serve the Lord. As for me, there is no greater joy than to be used by God and to be engaged in His service.
It is important to realize that it is always God using us and working through us as His vessels to accomplish His will, and we get the privilege of being used by Him and receive the joy of serving Him--who can render to God what He deserves and payback to Him for His blessings? Isaiah 26:12 says that all that we have accomplished God has wrought through us! We are not to boast as Israel did in Amos 6:13, when God should be given credit, as recorded: "[You] who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, 'Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?'"
Paul summed it up in Romans 15:18 (NIV) similarly: "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...." This is the faith that we leave our comfort zones in faith and do God's bidding and will and leave the results to Him--that means not comparing ourselves to each other per 2 Cor. 10:12, which is "unwise."
We are always in a win-win situation with God on our side as our autopilot and captain directing us. We must remember that God can turn evil into good and make the most out of every situation--look how He turned the humiliating crucifixion into glory! It is always tempting for all of us to base our achievement on the visible results like measuring success by the numbers or monetary value when we should be seeing the work of God in us and miracles behind the scene. We must admit that we cannot achieve great things for God of our own effort, we can only faithfully cooperate with Him in a Spirit of love and good deeds, which we are destined to do (cf. Eph. 2:10).
If God owns the results, they aren't ours to criticize or evaluate! God is the one who called us and has a purpose for it--He designed the universe, how much more were our lives laid out according to Psalm 139:16. What they often tell you is to try harder and maybe you'll get better results: But the answer is in trusting more and leaving the results to God, or, as they say, let go and let God--we can do nothing apart from Him (As John 15:5 says, "Apart from me you can do nothing..."). In our culture everything is results-oriented and if we don't see them immediately we think we're failures (many authors have only had their manuscripts published posthumously). We are hard-wired for results and think that spiritual success is measured as if it were under the scientific method of measurement and observation--this is not so, we must trust God to work in us and believe Him for results, not others or especially ourselves, nor seeking man's praise, not God's alone.
It is said that you shouldn't strive to do what you enjoy, as much as learn to enjoy what you do; this is what is meant in Ecclesiastes when it says there is joy in our toil--we're hard-wired for work and a work ethic! We are not made for idleness and boredom is unnatural and man needs purpose and fulfillment in life, that only God can accomplish. it doesn't matter who sows or reaps, but that God gives the increase! The lesson to be heeded is to do everything in the name of the Lord, to the glory of the Lord, and that we "get" to serve God, who also will reward us for being used! Follow your passion in your vocation, but be ready to enjoy whatever God grants and whatever you must do.
Note that the work of salvation is applicable, too. Salvation is not man's achievement, but God's accomplishment and we are impotent to do anything to prepare ourselves for it. Only God can transform a heart and make one anew! Left to ourselves, none of us would have believed or come to Jesus; much less if up to our own efforts we wouldn't be able to stay saved--He preserves as we persevere; He calls and woos as we come by His resurrection power. We must realize that we come to Christ by grace alone and stay in Christ by grace alone--it's grace all the way. Soli Deo Gloria!
"... Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6, ESV).
We tend to see worldly success as a sign of God's approval, or even prosperity as a keynote of spirituality; however, only God can judge true success, because He knows how faithful we are; we are not called to success, but to faithfulness, in the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. God does promise to prosper us if we are in His will and doing what He calls us to do. God does promise to prosper us, but not in human means when we set out to do something in the name of the Lord and God is in it--that's success! Finding this calling.
We all have a work to do, and it will be worth it in the judgment to hear our Lord say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Even Jesus said that He had completed the work that God had given Him to do. He was primarily, a man on a mission extraordinaire, and this is not a bad model for us, once we feel led to serve the Lord. As for me, there is no greater joy than to be used by God and to be engaged in His service.
It is important to realize that it is always God using us and working through us as His vessels to accomplish His will, and we get the privilege of being used by Him and receive the joy of serving Him--who can render to God what He deserves and payback to Him for His blessings? Isaiah 26:12 says that all that we have accomplished God has wrought through us! We are not to boast as Israel did in Amos 6:13, when God should be given credit, as recorded: "[You] who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, 'Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?'"
Paul summed it up in Romans 15:18 (NIV) similarly: "I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me...." This is the faith that we leave our comfort zones in faith and do God's bidding and will and leave the results to Him--that means not comparing ourselves to each other per 2 Cor. 10:12, which is "unwise."
We are always in a win-win situation with God on our side as our autopilot and captain directing us. We must remember that God can turn evil into good and make the most out of every situation--look how He turned the humiliating crucifixion into glory! It is always tempting for all of us to base our achievement on the visible results like measuring success by the numbers or monetary value when we should be seeing the work of God in us and miracles behind the scene. We must admit that we cannot achieve great things for God of our own effort, we can only faithfully cooperate with Him in a Spirit of love and good deeds, which we are destined to do (cf. Eph. 2:10).
If God owns the results, they aren't ours to criticize or evaluate! God is the one who called us and has a purpose for it--He designed the universe, how much more were our lives laid out according to Psalm 139:16. What they often tell you is to try harder and maybe you'll get better results: But the answer is in trusting more and leaving the results to God, or, as they say, let go and let God--we can do nothing apart from Him (As John 15:5 says, "Apart from me you can do nothing..."). In our culture everything is results-oriented and if we don't see them immediately we think we're failures (many authors have only had their manuscripts published posthumously). We are hard-wired for results and think that spiritual success is measured as if it were under the scientific method of measurement and observation--this is not so, we must trust God to work in us and believe Him for results, not others or especially ourselves, nor seeking man's praise, not God's alone.
It is said that you shouldn't strive to do what you enjoy, as much as learn to enjoy what you do; this is what is meant in Ecclesiastes when it says there is joy in our toil--we're hard-wired for work and a work ethic! We are not made for idleness and boredom is unnatural and man needs purpose and fulfillment in life, that only God can accomplish. it doesn't matter who sows or reaps, but that God gives the increase! The lesson to be heeded is to do everything in the name of the Lord, to the glory of the Lord, and that we "get" to serve God, who also will reward us for being used! Follow your passion in your vocation, but be ready to enjoy whatever God grants and whatever you must do.
Note that the work of salvation is applicable, too. Salvation is not man's achievement, but God's accomplishment and we are impotent to do anything to prepare ourselves for it. Only God can transform a heart and make one anew! Left to ourselves, none of us would have believed or come to Jesus; much less if up to our own efforts we wouldn't be able to stay saved--He preserves as we persevere; He calls and woos as we come by His resurrection power. We must realize that we come to Christ by grace alone and stay in Christ by grace alone--it's grace all the way. Soli Deo Gloria!