--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Success in ministry is important, but…" description: "\"“Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is all-important, I have made it an idol . . .It is possible to make such an idol of success th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg" --- # Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is… ![“Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is all-important, I have made it an idol . . .It is possible to make such an idol of success that you prize it more than God.” quote by Brad Bigney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg) > ““Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is all-important, I have made it an idol . . .It is possible to make such an idol of success that you prize it more than God.”” Brad Bigney ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success can become an idol, displacing God, warning against placing worldly achievements above spiritual devotion. **In simple terms:** Success may become an idol over God. Key Takeaway Keep success in proper perspective. Themes faith success idolatry spirituality priorities Mood reflective spiritual cautionary Type Idols-of-the-heart:1 Ministry:1 Success:1 Important Idol:0 Ministry Important:0 Idol Possible:0 Idol Success:0 Success Ministry:0 When to use this quote - ministry work - personal reflection - spiritual discipline Key Concepts theology personal values Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance ambition and faith? - What signs of idolatry appear? A Different Perspective Idolization can distort values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Jimi Hendrix is very important. He's my idol. He sort of epitomizes, from his presentation on stage, the whole works of a rock star.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/jimi-hendrix-is-very-important-he-s-my-idol-he-sort-of-epitomizes/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [Carrie Underwood was just a small-town Oklahoma girl with big dreams in 2005 when she competed on the fourth season of 'American Idol.' 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At this moment weed was calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-heil/i-didn-t-realize-that-there-would-always-be-something-influencing-my/) [Michael J Heil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-heil/) > [“If you wonder why you choose to worship other gods rather than wholeheartedly devote yourself to the Lord you love, examine the thought and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-fitzpatrick/if-you-wonder-why-you-choose-to-worship-other-gods-rather-than/) [Elyse Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-fitzpatrick/) > [“The more you make Jesus the treasure of your heart, the less room there will be in your life for idols.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-sande/the-more-you-make-jesus-the-treasure-of-your-heart-the-less-room/) [Ken Sande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-sande/) > [“God cannot and will not give us a sense of lasting pleasure apart from him, because it violates his purpose and our design. Psalm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-idleman/god-cannot-and-will-not-give-us-a-sense-of-lasting-pleasure-apart/) [Kyle Idleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-idleman/) > [I did it through our ministries. We had ordination and basically understanding there ought - to be ordained that God has set apart, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/i-did-it-through-our-ministries-we-had-ordination-and-basically/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [“In the process of helping children prepare to minister and in doing ministry together, important relationships can develop between child and adult. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-stonehouse/in-the-process-of-helping-children-prepare-to-minister-and-in-doing/) [Catherine Stonehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-stonehouse/) > [If you want your ministry to have ‘it’, more important than anything else we’ve discussed, you must have ‘it’. When it has filtered through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/if-you-want-your-ministry-to-have-it-more-important-than-anything/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [“Of all the goals and outcomes for a special needs ministry, there is one that is most important: To enable parents of kids with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fenton-lee/of-all-the-goals-and-outcomes-for-a-special-needs-ministry-there-is/) [Amy Fenton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fenton-lee/) > [Ministry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/ministry-is-the-least-important-thing-you-cannot-not-minister-if-you/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More Idols-of-the-heart quotes > [“I didn’t realize that there would always be something influencing my decisions and weighing in on my life. At this moment weed was calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-heil/i-didn-t-realize-that-there-would-always-be-something-influencing-my/) [Michael J Heil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-heil/) > [“If you wonder why you choose to worship other gods rather than wholeheartedly devote yourself to the Lord you love, examine the thought and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-fitzpatrick/if-you-wonder-why-you-choose-to-worship-other-gods-rather-than/) [Elyse Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-fitzpatrick/) > [“The more you make Jesus the treasure of your heart, the less room there will be in your life for idols.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-sande/the-more-you-make-jesus-the-treasure-of-your-heart-the-less-room/) [Ken Sande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-sande/) > [“God cannot and will not give us a sense of lasting pleasure apart from him, because it violates his purpose and our design. Psalm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-idleman/god-cannot-and-will-not-give-us-a-sense-of-lasting-pleasure-apart/) [Kyle Idleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-idleman/) Browse all 5 Idols-of-the-heart quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is all-important, I have made it an idol . . .It is possible to make such an idol of success that you prize it more than God.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brad Bigney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bigney/success-in-ministry-is-important-but-when-i-assume-it-is-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idols-of-the-heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bigney/success-in-ministry-is-important-but-when-i-assume-it-is-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f17/brad-bigney-224126_idols-of-the-heart_success-in-ministry-is-important-but-whe_647373.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Success in ministry is important, but when I assume it is all-important, I have made it an idol . . .It is…” — Brad Bigney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brad Bigney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-bigney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Success in ministry is important, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bigney/success-in-ministry-is-important-but-when-i-assume-it-is-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-bigney/success-in-ministry-is-important-but-when-i-assume-it-is-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```