There are many seminars and marketing schemes today that offer us the ability to be successful. It all points to the temporal and constantly changing idea of success, and how it is determined. You are thought to be a success if your post goes viral, or if you reach a quota or break a record. So if someone else can do more, get more… what is the true meaning of success and what should we use to determine the success of a person, a business, or a ministry?
God’s standard of measuring success can simplify our lives and point us to what profoundly matters. So we will consider a few points:
How Much… The world often measures success by the sum total rather than by the individual parts that make up the total. They will estimate success by how many seats were filled at a meeting or by how many millions of dollars an athlete receives to sign a contract with a sports team. People view this as success, until one day they hear how their family life or relationship was a failure. God views success not in regards to the total numbers or to what their life adds up to, but rather by the consistency and integrity of their life in all parts, not just one aspect.
Bless Me… Another way the world measures success is by what one gets or receives. It is easy to talk about being blessed because an award, promotion or bonus has been received. Though there is nothing wrong with this, it tends to be one-sided. Jesus challenged this one-way attitude of success by focusing it in another direction. Am I sharing with others from what I have received? This is not simply giving a donation, it also is about using my time, my skills and my possessions to influence people (Luke 16:9). God’s idea of our being a success is measured in two directions…by how we bless others through what God has blessed us with.
Success Promises… The world often describes success by how wealth and popularity promises to bring change. To the contrary, the abundance of these things have at times ruined people’s lives. God has a different way of determining success, regardless of how much or little we have. The great King Solomon was a success story in the time in which he lived. In the book of Ecclesiastes, he gave some profound insights and warnings about success. He saw how some people achieved fame and accumulated fortune, but learned that the things themselves did not provide them the ability to enjoy their seeming success. At least four times he said that enjoyment of these things comes as a gift from the hand of God (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:13; 5:19; 6:2; Proverb 10:22). Whatever gratification humans seek to gain from success without God will only leave them empty handed, even though they seem to possess it all (Mark 8:36; Luke 12:15).
Communicating Success… People skilled in the art of communication tell us that success in comes primarily by the way something is said and by the way it is portrayed. What draws people is not necessarily the content but the hype. People are engaged through mobile devices and apps to tell their story and show their pictures. Success to them is measured by the totals of how many “Likes” or “Hits” they get. It as though they are saying, “I want people to like me, but without having to listen to them.” God designed success in communication to be two directional, meaning we must listen carefully (James 1:19) and, when appropriate, speak concisely. The content of our communication should be accurate, not exaggerated, and should invite people to engage in a way that is mutually beneficial (Matthew 5:33-37).
This points to a profound truth we cannot afford to forget or neglect… finding true success does not come from our achievements and gains in themselves, but comes from our Creator as a gift.
“Be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
Written by Paul Curtas