Success. We all want it. Even in things we consider ministry it’s really no different. Whether it be music, preaching, volunteering at a food bank, or mentoring troubled youth we all want to see results and feel like we’re accomplishing something!
Of course, results don’t come from raw talent alone. They’re the product of hard work as well as God’s grace & provision… BUT anytime we endeavor to measure or evaluate anything, it’s critical to define terms. How we define success matters. Let’s just consider success within the framework of being a Christian artist. I propose to you that some artists we all tend to consider as successful, actually aren’t… AND some very obscure artists are some of the most successful!
How the world defines success is different from how God defines it. The world defines success by popularity, influence, notoriety, wealth, and power. The world is fixated on catching the latest fad. The world elevates certain people to a perceived status that often allows them to dictate to the rest of us what quality is. Ironically, the same world often tears those same people down, but it’s human nature to resist it or to desperately attempt to rekindle that status. Sometimes to no avail… Either way it’s 100% about YOU and what YOU accomplish to magnify YOURSELF.
This phenomenon leaches into Christian culture and art too, like contaminated motor oil creeping over a newly cleaned garage floor. It drives elitism, jealousy, and a critical spirit that is contrary to the Gospel. Don’t believe me? Send your Christian music to any number of “Christian” review shows and watch as they pick it apart relentlessly like a pack of cackling hyenas! (One note: I’m not suggesting EVERY review show conducts themselves this way.)
I once watched in amazement as a reviewer stumbled and stuttered over himself angrily to convince his listeners that I didn’t sound like E-40. I don’t even think I sound like E-40 or aspire to that, but that’s not the point. It was incredible to me how incensed he was at the notion that someone might compare my sound to someone he (and the world) consider to be successful, because HE didn’t personally like my song. It wasn’t enough to simply assert he wasn’t feeling the song, or BETTER YET offer some constructive and useful feedback on how I might be able to more effectively connect with those with his taste preferences. He felt a need to overtly and ruthlessly attempt to denigrate my efforts. Fortunately, I feel like prior to him even playing my track God had given me a glimpse of the fruit coming from that show… and I wasn’t overly concerned with what he had to say. Besides that, Evidently the radio stations in Sweden LOVE that track because it’s still getting radio play there.
Defining success like the world does breeds a self-centric ethos that is contrary to the Gospel. It requires territorialism because when we are only concerned with our own advancement, everyone else becomes a potential threat we feel compelled to defend against. Their success might encroach on our own so they must be eliminated or held down. The only thing more tragic than watching the world do this is watching those who profess to follow Christ do it, and defiantly proclaim that it’s justified because we’re “called to greatness in the Kingdom” as if chasing material success and affirmation reflects the favor of God in their lives.
Sadly, many profess to believe in God but they don’t follow Him, not comprehending the deeper things of God such as the principles He defines as success. One of the first steps to understanding success from the perspective of God is acknowledging something we don’t like to think about… IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU OR I!
We weren’t created to be rich… or poor. We weren’t created to be important or insignificant. Scripture says God is not a respecter of persons and He sends rain on the just and unjust alike. Ultimately, IT IS 100% ABOUT GOD. He created you and I for His own pleasure and glory. He can do that because He is the potter and we are mere clay.
So… How do YOU achieve success when it’s all about GOD and NOT about YOU? You do it by living in your purpose! You actually can’t be successful without living in your purpose. YOU don’t get to determine your purpose… GOD DOES. So what does God say our purpose is? Throughout scripture the message is clear that we are created to worship, honor, and serve God in a way that is tangibly reflected in our lives.
Think I’m wrong? Get into the Word of God and if you disagree with me… Show me where and how I am wrong about this, and do it within proper context. More importantly… show yourself where and how I am wrong because scripture also encourages us to be like Bereans and says to seek out our own salvation with fear and trembling. I don’t think you’ll be successful if your goal is just to refute me though.
So what does that mean for your music? It means your passion for music, or excellence, or to spread a message to as many people as possible is something God gave you for the advancement of the real objective. They are secondary to that goal. Crowds, streaming numbers, etc. don’t matter if your focus is locked on them rather than the thing they are intended to enhance… You can perform a show in front of a sold out crowd on a fancy stage with state of the art lighting and sound, and with ulterior motives in your heart, and not have anywhere near the level of impact a completely unknown artist can have through one single interaction with a solitary person in an empty show at some rec center in a town of 500 people.
Let’s make sure this year and we pursue God first, family and ministry second, and everything else after that… Let’s keep things in a proper perspective and measure success how God measures it, by sincerity of heart, humility, and obedience to Him instead of by influence on or affirmation from a world that denies Him and kicks against the goads in rebellion toward their Creator.
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