“Did you hear they finally executed him last night?” “Yeah, what a wasted life. He started out so well with such a promising future. You know he graduated from a renowned school where he studied under prominent professors. He was known all over the nation for the work he was doing and had become a powerful man at such an early age.” “But all that changed after that freak encounter he claimed was God.” “I personally think he went crazy. I know he almost starved and froze to death several times with his so called new job.” “I guess the only admirable thing that he did was stand by his beliefs—right or wrong. He literally became a slave to them.” “True, but he paid a tremendous price with all the misery and adversity he suffered. Someone told me that sometimes he didn’t have a penny to his name and had to resort to a menial job and asking others for help.” “Does anyone even know how many times he was arrested? I know several times he was almost beaten to death. What a failure for someone with the potential for such great success!”
By now, you might be thinking what a bum this guy must have been. By the world’s definition of success, he certainly was. But in the eyes of God, according to His definition of success, he was one of His most trusted servants. This unsuccessful bum was none other than the Apostle Paul. Understanding true success can be a daunting task because so many believers have embraced elements of a worldly definition. Equating success with the so-called American dream is not the Biblical definition. There is nothing wrong with owning a house, having a good job, and raising a well-adjusted family. However, when people fall short of this dream, it is easy to view them and even ourselves, as unsuccessful. It is essential that we maintain a clear line of distinction between a biblical meaning and the meaning the world has imposed.
The world’s definition always revolves around four elements: 1) possessions, 2) position, 3) power, and 4) popularity. None of these is a measure of Biblical success. In God’s eyes, the beggar Lazarus was more successful than the rich man was. When James and John sought positions on the right and left of Jesus, which were seats of power over others, Jesus said the greatest among you will be your servant. Paul tells the Corinthians that God chooses the insignificant and those who are viewed as nothing to work in His Kingdom (1 Cor. 1:28).
Jesus told a parable of a man who went on a journey and entrusted three servants with various amounts of money to invest. He gave one servant $5,000, to another $2,000 and to another a $1,000. When the owner returned, the servant with $5,000 had doubled the amount to $10,000. The man with $2,000 had also doubled his investment to $4,000. To both of them he said, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things (Matt. 25:21, 23). Both had been successful even though they had different amounts of money. The man with a $1,000 had hid his money and done nothing. The owner was angry, took back his money, and threw this worthless servant out. Had he invested his $1,000 and returned $2,000, he would have been just as successful as his two fellow servants were.
So, what is Biblical success? It is simply being faithful with what God has given us or assigned us to accomplish. A pastor can be considered successful who holds services in a thatched roof mud building in the bush of Africa with ten people if that is his assignment and he is faithful.
Biblical success does not revolve around climbing to the top of some profession, or gaining the approval of men, or accumulating an abundance of possessions or becoming famous. Success is not defined by the external things of society; Jesus declared, a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). True success is the state of our heart in relation to God—Godliness, faithfulness and contentment.
The measure of success is not wealth versus poverty; prestige versus obscurity; or acceptance versus rejection. The vice-president, the secretary, the associate pastor, the housewife, or the unknown self-employed janitor are all successful in God’s eyes if that is where He placed them and they have faithfully fulfilled that assignment.
From the world’s standard, Jesus, like Paul was not successful. He was also executed; He only had 120 dedicated followers, and trained only eleven men to continue His work. Note what the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Mat 17:5)!
Two principles are necessary for Biblical success: dying to self and walking according to the Spirit. If we live by these principles, at the end of life we can say as Paul did, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2Ti 4:7). What is your personal definition of success? Is it according to worldly standards or God’s standards?
Sustaining Word for the Week:
We may not have possessions, positions, power, or popularity; we may even be labeled unsuccessful by the world, but God is saying, well done, good and faithful servant!