Y Not I

Being a watcher of American Idol, I saw this interesting post via this other blog. While I believe there is some truth to the post, I think it also goes off the path as well. I do think we need to keep our motivations in check and make sure that whatever we are working towards in our lives meets with the approval of G-d. We are to be bond servants and we are to be living sacrifices, however does that mean that any level of worldly acceptance and success is somehow wrong? I think not. Does that mean if I work towards a promotion at work, or try to get a better job, that I am somehow not being a true servant of G-d? The writer puts it this way:

Our American idol (the god of evangelicalism) calls us to be personally successful, popular and all that we can be. The true Jesus calls us to die to ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. When you do that, you will lose the applause of the world, period.

While that sounds good and all, it seems to me that throughout Scriptures G-d has blessed some with great levels of success. Abraham was a very rich man, David rose to the highest places of power, Solomon had untold riches, and Paul was a very learned and successful Pharisee. As a matter of fact, it seems that the successes that Paul had achieved may be a reason the G-d choose Paul for the ministry he had. It seemed that he was able garner respect because he was a Pharisee, and considered himself a Pharisee long after he became a follower of Yeshua (Acts 23). He became a Roman citizen, a success that earned worldly respect, and that was something that G-d used as well. I think there is not a problem with working towards and achieving success, I think there is a problem when that success is achieve and the glory is not given  to G-d, and it then goes to ones head. That is not keeping things in proper perspective.

On the other side, I sometimes see believers who wear their lack of success as a badge of their holiness. I think it is just as prideful to say that ones lack of success is a sign of G-dly behavior. To not use the gifts G-d has given one is not being a good steward. In this case Phil Stacey is a worship leader at his church, and from what I have seen of him on the show, I think he represents our G-d very well. He has stated what a blessing it is just to be there, and although I am sure the network works to keep the overt Biblical messages down, he has tried to bring out whatever level is allowed to come forth. Contestants like Mandisa from last year, constantly worked to bring forth their faith as part of who they are.

I think the post brought up the good point to keep our successes in perspective, to use them to serve the L-RD. But to suggest that success on American Idol is somehow unG-dly is a bit much, regardless of how distasteful a name like American Idol might be to a believer.