Leadership: What Are God's Promises for Your Success?预览

Old Testament vs. New Testament Success

So far, every time we found some promise of prosperity and/or success in the Bible, we ended up with a promise for a particular person or the nation of Israel. And, all of these promises were only in the Old Testament.

What’s going on with that? The search results for the words, “prosper/prosperity”, “wealth”, “success” and even “blessed” across the entire Bible returns hundreds of promises, but none in the New Testament and none for success in business leadership or the workplace today!

Really, it’s true! Check for yourself if you don’t believe it.

Although Jesus spoke many times about worldly success, wealth and riches, he never referenced even one of the promises given in Old Testament as being for us. Instead, his teachings indicated that worldly success, wealth and riches make it difficult to enter the Kingdom of God:

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:24

Jesus does promise success to us, but not at all like the promises of God we have seen so far. In fact, Jesus goes out of his way to draw a distinction between Old and New Testament times:

Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. – Luke 16:16 (NLT)

Jesus message is this: Previously, obedience to the law often included the promise of success in this world. Now that Jesus has introduced the Kingdom of God to the world, the promise for success is all about “treasure in heaven” and nothing to do with worldly success as we know it.

Check these passages:

But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you … will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. – Luke 14:13-14

If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. – Matthew 19:21

Blessed is the one who perseveres … that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12

Every promise of blessing or success in the New Testament relates to treasure in heaven, not on earth. Even more directly, Jesus tells us that the current order of leadership and importance in this world is upside-down from the Kingdom of God:

Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” – Mark 9:35

And his remarks to a group of business people on business success are astounding:

What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. – Luke 16:15b

Wow! Jesus really has turned everything upside-down, hasn’t He?

Next time, we'll find out what this means for success in your leadership, business or workplace endeavors.

Reflection / Application

1. Even though the Old Testament was full of promises for worldly success to the Israelites, the New Testament does not promise any sort of business, leadership or workplace success for us today. Why do you think that is?
2. Jesus not only turned the religious order on its head when he came to earth, but also our ideas of business and workplace success, including what we may have thought God had planned for us. Do you agree with Jesus? Have things really changed so radically?
3. What do the teachings of Jesus mean for you in your leadership, business or workplace efforts? Does anything need to change?