Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:15-16
Ask any father when it is that they are proud of their children. No doubt they will tell you that they are proud of their kids when they do well at something. It does not really matter what that something is. They could be doing well in school, sports, or displaying good character. Whatever it is, the father is proud when his kids do well.
Does it then make sense that God the father would be proud of His children when they do well? God is glorified when you do well in life.
When you succeed, the glory goes back to He who made you.
Some people have made it virtuous to aim low in life. This is especially true of modern Christians. These are the people we have talked about before who think success is evil. They also think that poverty is a virtue.
I do not see anything noble associated with aiming low and achieving few successes in life. It does not matter what those successes are. Whatever you can define as success, somewhere you can find a Christian who thinks it is good if you do not reach that successful image.
Instead of aiming high, giving credit to God along the way, they aim low. They think that the less they achieve, the nobler they are. Or that the less money they make, the more spiritual they are. Wealth and spirituality are not inversely correlated.
If you work as hard as you can, you glorify God. This is a biblical principle.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for[a] you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24
Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
Ephesians 6:5-8
God is glorified by your success.
it does not bring glory to God if you aim low in life and achieve very little. Others will look at you and mock you. Every man, religious or secular, has the responsibility to achieve. This is an integral part of man’s nature. It was built into him from the beginning of time. God created you to not just work mindlessly at a 9-5, but to improve and achieve both personally and professionally.
It is not masculine to wallow in failure and lack of success. It is not noble to try to lead others down the same path you are on.
This is one of the many reasons you must be careful about who you allow being your friends. You have to control your circle of influence very carefully. Treat it like your immune system and always be on the lookout for someone who is a parasite.
Parasites are thousands of times smaller than their human hosts, but cause massive problems to the human machine. Negative influences around you are the same way. They must be rigorously controlled, monitored, and modulated.
Do not associate with anyone who promotes the idea that your lack of success is okay. You are not okay just the way you are. That has never been true and it never be will be true. You must at all times be working to cast off your current self and be more.
to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Nobility exists in facing our personal insufficiencies and working to correct them. Never content with staying in the same place, we always look for ways to improve our weaknesses. Even if we can only make small progress, that is infinitely more profitable and masculine than making no progress.
Do not let limiting beliefs hold you back from being successful. If some Christian is trying to get you to limit your personal or professional success on the grounds that it is spiritual, get away from them. They have no biblical backing for their belief. They are propagating false doctrine. Only listen to men you admire and want to emulate. And then only listen to those who can back up what they believe with scripture. And not only with scripture, but with rational thinking as well.
It is one thing to quote a verse. It is another thing to be able to quote and think about the bible with a rational mind. Use your own mind to decide what you believe. Never take someone’s word for anything. Make sure everything passes the test of logic so you can be a man. And never limit your success. It is not spiritual, it is fatal.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true
Acts 17:11
