God and Success

God and Success

I would like you to consider something.

Our country was founded on faith, rooted in a Judeo-Christian foundation. "In God We Trust" is more than a slogan—it reflects the principles upon which America was built. Freedom, faith, personal responsibility, the pursuit of happiness, and the opportunity for success have long been central to the American story.

Yet today, a growing segment of our population seems to reject many of those foundational principles.

And it doesn't stop there.

If you live a life of faith, work hard, take risks, and achieve success, you are not always viewed as someone others should learn from or celebrate. In some circles, success itself is treated with suspicion, envy and hatred. Those who prosper are often portrayed as the problem rather than as examples of perseverance, discipline, innovation, and hard work.

The Bible does not condemn success. In fact, it encourages us to use our God-given gifts and talents wisely and productively.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. Three servants are entrusted with resources by their master and instructed to put them to work. Two of the servants increase what they were given and are praised with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." The third servant buries what he was given, produces no increase, and is rebuked as "wicked and lazy."

The lesson is clear: God expects us to develop, multiply, and steward the gifts, opportunities, and resources He places in our hands.

The passage concludes with a powerful statement:

"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

The broader message is not just about money. It is also about responsibility, stewardship, initiative, and faithfulness.

I believe God gives every person unique gifts and talents. Our responsibility is to discover them, develop them, and use them in a positive way, for Gods purpose to be a blessing. As I often say, we are blessed to be a blessing.

Today, however, there are growing voices who argue that the free market is fundamentally unfair and that government should play a larger role in directing economic outcomes. They believe government should determine who gets what rather than allowing individuals, businesses, and markets to create opportunity through hard work, innovation, and personal responsibility.

Throughout history, Americans have resisted excessive government control. We fought wars to preserve freedom. During my lifetime, America stood against communism during the Cold War because we understood the dangers of centralized power and government control over people's lives.

Yet ideas once considered fringe are becoming increasingly popular. Politicians such as Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren have advocated varying forms of democratic socialism or expanded government involvement in the economy. Millions of Americans—particularly younger voters—find these ideas appealing.

The argument is often framed as helping those who are struggling by taking more from those who have achieved success.

But I believe that approach misunderstands both human nature and history.

The lesson of the Parable of the Talents is not that success should be punished. It is that faithfulness, responsibility, and productive effort should be encouraged and rewarded. The biblical principle rewards stewardship, growth and increase. It challenges people to maximize and increase what they have been given. To take from the successful and give to those who have less success is the opposite of what this principle is saying.

History repeatedly shows that concentrated government power often benefits those in power more than the people it claims to help. Promises of fairness and equality frequently lead to greater dependency, less opportunity, and diminished freedom and success. 

At its core, this debate is much larger than economics or politics.

Do we believe in personal responsibility, faith, stewardship, opportunity, and freedom?

Or do we place our trust in larger secular systems, institutions, and government control?

Most Americans do not fully see the significance of this choice.

But the choice is real.

In many ways, it comes down to competing visions of how society should function and where ultimate truth and happiness is found.

It is the Little Red Book versus the Bible.

Eventually, America will have to decide which vision it will follow. I hope we continue to chose Gods way rooted in faith, character, integrity, and purpose.

Question of the Week: 

Are you multiplying the gifts God has given you, or are you burying them?

Coach’s Challenge: 

This week, take inventory of your God-given talents, opportunities, and resources. Where are you creating growth? Where are you holding back or burying it? God did not create you to suppress or bury your potential. He created you to develop it, multiply it, and use it to impact others.

My Closing Thought: 

Success is not something you pursue. Success is something you attract by becoming the person God created you to be.

Make plays, not excuses. 

— Coach Calloway