Noble Success is a term I have been contemplating for a while to help me make sense of the purpose of abundance.
Particularly as a Christian.
Success, understood in the traditional sense, is defined as wealth, status, power, etc.
Noble Success, on the other hand, would be characterized by:
What we give (time/talent/treasure), not what we gain.
Who we help, not who we are.
How much we serve, not by how much we can be served.
Noble Success actually benefits the giver as much as the receiver.
Not just in the sense of satisfaction of doing good (. . . it is more blessed to give than receive - Acts 20:35), but also in contentment, in that our own needs are met through being equipped to give more to others.
And not just in barely making it.
One of the hardest lessons to learn, as God blesses us more in order to give more, is to minimize our own financial footprint.
The goal is to keep our present and ongoing financial footprint as small as possible in order to be ready to help meet other's needs (spiritual, mental, emotional, and financial) as the opportunity arises.
This does not mean becoming misers and living like hermits.
Except for certain occasions when God is teaching us contentment or to trust in His provision, He abundantly showers us with blessings.
This also does not mean that God wants everyone to be rich, as we understand it.
What it does mean is that when we commit to serving Him with the blessings He gives us, through sending, supporting, and supplying the needs of his servants, He will meet our every need and sometimes more.
I have experienced this many times.
A quote by the late Zig Ziglar, which espoused this sentiment, has always stuck with me -
"You can have everything you want and need in life, when you help enough others get what they want and need in life."
I heard it in a song
The third stanza of America The Beautiful ends with this phrase:
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine.
I don't know for sure, but the author of America the Beautiful may have had Galatians 6:10 in mind when he penned those words -
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Combined, they define the Calling, Character, Cost, and Challenge for everyday Christians to “do well in order to do good” by sending, supporting, and supplying the needs of God's servants who are called to go (in service to others).
These words lay out a case for success being motivated by “Nobleness” and all gain being “Divine”.
The preceding verses (6-9) in Galatians Chapter 6, exhort us to meet the needs of those who are in the ministry of teaching/preaching in particular.
Let him that is taught in the word communicate (share with, provide the needs of) unto him that teaches in all good things.
This is so that the latter can concentrate on preaching and teaching, not worrying about where their next meal will come from.
Then we are given a strong warning of blessing or scarcity concerning sowing and reaping:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
God ties our faithfulness in supplying the needs of His servants to the reaping of blessings.
It is not saying, “Give to Get”.
It is saying with the proper attitude and desires, you will reap blessings and have your needs met as you take care of the needs of others, especially those in the “household of faith”.
So, we are given the blessing of abundance in order to be the channel of blessing to others.
When we keep it to ourselves, the blessing will dry up.
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Providence lies at the intersection of opportunity and preparation
The sad, shocking truth, however, is that most Christians are not prepared to take advantage of the “opportunities” to do good that come their way.
Debt, stuff, and a lack of financial literacy contribute greatly to our inability to do more good than we currently are.
This series on The Power of Noble Success is an outgrowth of the study of this subject and how to put it into practice.
Eyes Opened
In the Fall of 2000 I went on a missions trip to the Philippines with a pastor friend. While there, I read a passage of scripture that caused me to begin some serious introspection.
How did my life really count for God.
Romans 10:15 asks a very interesting question, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? ”
The question here is, How are they sent?
All I had to do was look in the mirror for the answer.
I looked at what was going on in this vibrant growing work on the island of Palawan, in what would be considered a borderline third-world setting.
I also saw all the needs that were going unmet, the hard lives that these believers were living as opposed to the relative ease of life in the West and particularly, the United States.
Yet, the believers there were fervent and happy in serving the Lord. Even though they lacked much, they still gave generously.
It was a revelation.
Multiply their situation by thousands all over the world.
Add the hundreds of missionaries who are struggling to raise support to get to their field of calling and the thousands who are struggling just to keep enough support to stay on the field.
I could not stop thinking about this.
Eventually, I put together some teachings based on these thoughts entitled “Called to Send.”
It’s becoming a hard road to travel
The problem is that it is getting harder for those who are called to go to get there because those of us who are called to send (anyone not called to go) have not fulfilled our calling.
Don't believe that?
Take a look at the average Christian's lifestyle.
Not only living paycheck to paycheck, but deeply in debt.
Just like the world we’re not suppose to be conformed to.
Think of how much money is wasted on temporal things and frivolous personal whims.
Perhaps millions of Christians, by making even a slight adjustment in lifestyle, could make a huge difference.
In preparing Called to Send, I tried to address what I saw as the responsibility of the “everyday” Christian. The man in the pew, so to speak.
This has evolved over the years into what I now call The Call to Noble Success.
It is about serving through Sending, Supporting, and Supplying the needs of those whom God has sent out to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ: Pastors, Missionaries, teachers.
Even students training for the work of the ministry.
I want to outline what I believe the Bible says should be no less of a call to ministry than to preach, teach, or go to the mission field.
And that is the call to a ministry of Noble Success.
The Call, Character, Cost, and Challenge
As in any ministry, one must be confident of the call to a ministry of Noble Success. Otherwise the work will be “of the flesh”.
A call can be confirmed in a number of different ways. The obvious way would be through conviction of the Holy Spirit when reading the scripture.
Other ways of confirming are through developing our God given personalities, passions, and potential, counsel of others, and circumstances.
Any person who is called into ministry must develop the Character needed to be successful in their calling.
They must also weigh the Cost of their calling and whether or not they are willing to walk that road.
Finally they must meet and fulfill the Challenge of the particular ministry to which they are called – which includes cultivating the next generation and leaving a legacy.
These apply just as much to senders as it does to those called to go.
Over the next few weeks, the Soul Food sub-publication will will focus on how each of these areas play into the call to Noble Success - Sending, Supporting, and Supplying the Needs of those called to go.
Every Christian is called to serve the Lord. Some are called to go. Most are called to send and support them. Just like a nations army - the support personnel and infrastructure greatly outnumber the soldiers on the battle front.
This is why NOBLE SUCCESS is such a powerful concept. Think of it as success with a Divine purpose.
Next time, we’ll take a deep dive into the Character of Noble Success.
Until then, my friends . . .