The topic of “success” has attained cult status. I address
it because the Bible teaches about what is and what is not a
successful life. Many Christians, however, have taken the cultural view of success—wealth,
power, appearance, and popularity. The Bible’s view has little
to do with whether you succeed as much as where you succeed.
It is possible to be a raging success in life with little or none of what passes
for worldly “success.” It is also possible to fail in life because
you succeed at all the wrong things.
The Bible’s definition of success is:
- Does your character reflect God’s character in purity, integrity, and
love? Are you popular because you are attractive and wealthy or because you are
loving, kind, humble, helpful, trustworthy, and gentle? Godly success always begins
with character.
- Do you lay up treasures on earth or treasures in heaven?
Those who live for the eternal souls of men, the eternal glory of God, and the
eternal message of His salvation will lose nothing at death. Rather, to them death
is gain. You can fail by succeeding at the wrong thing. The Bible lists
12 areas of non-negotiable attainments:
- The fear of God: God ordains life, and He must be revered and obeyed if life
is to be enjoyed.
- The knowledge of God: The truth of how life should be lived and what should be believed.
- Relationships: The ability to work and play well with others. We have all
been repulsed by the talented yet rude.
- Self-control: Mastering self-destructive drives and sinful passions.
- Values: Having ambitions for the things that will last and delight, not fade and disappoint.
- The workplace: Learning to be excellent in the mundane of Monday.
- Integrity: Having a consistency between what you profess and do.
- Marriage: It can be a delight. You can’t quarantine a bad marriage.
It touches all of life.
- Kids: It’s easy to be happy with good kids.
- Money: Do you control it, or does it control (and ruin) you? Money can be
a fruitful servant but a cruel master.
- Difficult times: You must roll with the punches. These can be stumbling blocks or stepping stones. All of us will be victims, but we need never be victimized
by life.
- Peer pressure: Are you able to handle adverse pressure? “The companion of fools will suffer harm.”
We are often passionate to succeed at the wrong things. We spend
more money on being medicated than on being healed. Our view of success is producing
a culture of failures. PE
