Dressing for Success

The American Dream is one of the great things about the United States. This is a country where anyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic status, has a chance to become wealthy and powerful. The opportunity to pursue success is a wonderful thing, but it can come with its own dangers. Success is so ingrained in our cultural DNA that we are easily dissatisfied if we do not have riches, power, or material security. Plus there is no finish line when it comes to this American Dream. There are no sign posts to let us know when enough is enough. There are no markers that tells you: “you are successful and secure – so slow down or stop and be content”. As a result we run like hamsters on a wheel – always striving, always working, for worldly progress – sometimes making it – but never feeling like we have ever achieved enough. (based on comments by Marshall Allen “American Idols III: The American Dream,” Boundless Webzine May 2004).

We have become a society of worriers, obsessing about our academic standing, our salary, our job title, our investments, our address, our wardrobe, as if any mistake or slightest misstep will destroy our chances for success.
We even reflect our cultural obsessions in our entertainment - The Swan; What not to Wear; Biggest Loser; Extreme Makeover; or any number of other Makeover Shows including several for your new fall TV lineup. We all attempt to dress our lives to look successful in some manner. Reality is we all seek one-upmanship with one another and at the same time many of us do so while claiming to be followers of Christ.

So let me ask you, “How’s dressing as the world defines success working for you?” How goes your quest to keep up with the ‘Jones’? or ‘Smiths’? or whoever? Or whatever?

Let me say to you today that our pursuit of success is not the problem. Success is not a bad a thing and it is certainly not something as Christians that we should not strive after. NO, our problem is how we ‘dress’ ourselves in the pursuit of success and how we measure the success that is getting us into trouble. Being dressed for success has so little to do with our outward appearance and we have forgotten that. There is a story about appearances in the Old Testament. The story revolves around a King who became taken in my appearances and forgot what was important.

10-11 King Ahaz went to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria in Damascus. The altar in Damascus made a great impression on him. He sent back to Uriah the priest a drawing and set of blueprints of the altar. Uriah the priest built the altar to the specifications that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. By the time the king returned from Damascus, Uriah had completed the altar.
12-14 The minute the king saw the altar he approached it with reverence and arranged a service of worship with a full course of offerings: Whole-Burnt-Offerings with billows of smoke, Grain-Offerings, libations of Drink-Offerings, the sprinkling of blood from the Peace-Offerings—the works. But the old bronze Altar that signaled the presence of GOD he displaced from its central place and pushed it off to the side of his new altar.
2 Kings 16:10-16 The Message

King Ahaz was so taken in by the ‘beauty’ of another altar that he set aside the altar that God had provided. It was said of King Ahaz ‘that he did not do right in the eyes of the Lord.’ You think?

Folks we have the same problem. It comes down to this - what is important? What or who will occupy the altar of your mind and heart? We must be careful in our pursuit of success that we do not push God from the central place in our lives. We can not cast aside all that God has provided. Remember Jesus’ words: “. . . if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."

Let me suggest some simple actions that can help you pursue success while allowing God to maintain the central location in your life.

First – Surrender your success to God and then place a reminder in your workplace - something that reminds you of what is most important in your life.

Second – seek out servant tasks. Jesus washed his disciple’s feet. One of the largest churches in America hires all new pastors by having them serve as janitors for the first 6 months. So volunteer and serve others.

Third – pursue secrecy and silence in your service. Find ways to do your work while being able to go unnoticed, unheralded, or even anonymous as this will serve to remind you that service is more important than the recognition.

We become the light in the world when we stand apart from it – not be being exactly like it. You see how we live our faith matters that was a central message of Jesus.

If we ‘dress for success’ in the same manner that the world does, How will we stand apart when Christ comes?