What Does Success Look Like?
What is Success?
Acts 13:36 - "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
I believe everyone wants to be successful. Not too many people walk around in life saying I want to fail at this or fail at that, but we all desire success. We want to feel success and we want to achieve success, whether it be at our jobs, money, fame, power or even relationships.
Many people walk around wanting to be successful, but how many have taken the time the define what success is in their lives.
Sometimes we look at the success that other people are having, and we feel if we accomplish what they did or we accomplish the status they have, then we are considered successful.
All we must do is look at social media, there are many people who try and define success for you.
They post their status of:
- I have a million-dollar business and 14 cars you can be successful to
- I have 100,000 followers and 20,000 friends you can do that to
- I have 100,000 in the bank and I am successful
It even creeps into the church
- I have the biggest ministry in my part of town
- I have the biggest crowd in my town
That is not success.
How many know money comes and goes.
How many know friends come and go.
How many know crowds come and go, but the purposes of God for our lives stays the same.
The challenge for you and me is not to measure our success by comparing our accomplishments to someone else, but to look at what we would consider success in our own lives?
The challenge for you and me is to stop and look at what is the plan that God has for our lives and pursue that. If we don’t know what God has for us, we will start pursuing other people’s plans for our lives and the unfortunate thing is “people don’t have much planned for us.”
Then what can happen is as an individual we end up climbing the wrong ladder and pursuing someone else’s version of success for our lives, then when we get to the top of the ladder we find out it was the wrong one, but when we go after Gods plan for our life that is where the success is.
If you and I don’t know what success looks like in our own lives, then it will be hard to achieve.
Imagine there are people in the world today who have climbed up the ladder of success, only to find out it was the wrong ladder.
This even happens in the church. We see a certain position that looks attractive and we want to be in that position, but God has not called us to a position He has called us to a purpose.
As a Christian you and I should find out what the plan of God is for our lives and try to pursue that plan with all our heart. That is when we will be successful and make the biggest impact on this generation.
Did you know that God has something specific for you and me to do?
God has a specific part for you and me in the Body of Christ?
Not only that, but the Bible says in I Corinthians 12:18 - But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
Isn’t that good to know that God has placed the parts of the Body of Christ just where He wanted them to be.
That sounds like you and I don’t decide our purpose, but there is a purpose and calling that God has on our life that no man, no friend, no person or anyone can decide for you, but God has laid it out as He thought best.
I heard one preacher say, “We don’t decide our destiny we discover it.”
Tell your neighbor “You have a purpose.”
The Bible says that David carried out God’s purposes in his generation.
Acts 13:36 - "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.
I think the key to you and I being successful and making a difference in this generation is to carry out the purpose and plan that God has for our lives.
Success is not so much a goal as it is a journey.
There is no amount of money that can make us successful.
There is no amount of fame that can make us successful.
There is no accomplishment that can make us successful.
Success is when you and I are doing what God has called us to do.
When you and I are doing what God has called us to do, then we are being successful.
What are some things that you and I should be doing?
There are 3 things that I thought of that you and I should have if we want to be successful in doing what God has called us to do.
1. The Bible says in Matthew 22:37-38. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
Success for you and me as a Christian should be to love God with all our heart, soul and mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment of them all.
Notice it has nothing to do with what we do at church, but more of the heart of an individual.
It is not what I do in ministry, but it is our love for God.
The first thing that you and I should be focusing on is our love for God.
We love Him because He first loved us.
This love is shown in our devotion to God.
Prayer
The Word
Worship
And serving Him.
2. Success for you and me as a Christian should be to carry out God’s plan for our lives.
I Corinthians 12:18 - But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.
If you and I are carrying out our part in the Body of Christ, then we are being successful. Our success should be based on how well you and I carry out the purposes of God for our life and not based on what someone else has measured out for us.
What success looks like for me, should be totally different than what success looks like for you.
Why, because God has a different plan for each one of our lives. God has a different part in the Body for each one of us.
To one success may be teaching students to further their education.
To one success may be going to another country and being a missionary doctor.
To one success may be running a successful business that gives back into the Kingdom of God.
To one success may be building a children’s ministry.
To one success may be being a policeman who shares the love of Christ.
To one success may be being an athlete that models the love of God.
The teacher who teaches with the love of God.
The businessman who runs his business with the love of God.
The student who attends school, college or university and who models the love of God.
The Father who models the love of God.
The Mother who models the love of God.
The leader who leads with the love of God.
The missionary who models the love of God.
The athlete who models the love of God. The doctor, the lawyer, and the policeman who models the love of God.
We can go on and on what success can look like for different people.
When we are doing what God has called us to do then we are being successful in our purpose.
The challenge for you and I is to pursue the purposes of God for our lives.
3. Success for you and I as a Christian should be to serve and impact others as we carry out that plan.
We know that Gods heart is to see those who are lost come into a personal relationship with Him.
Our goal should be to be great in serving others as we carry out the plan that God has for our lives.
Now I know the world says success is having things, but the Bible says if you want to be great be a servant.
As we serve and do our part in the body, we see the vision of God’s heart come to pass and that is to reach people and bring them back into a relationship with God.
So, my success is tied to something that is bigger than myself.
See some people consider themselves successful according to what they have and what belongs to them, but our success should be to make an impact on the lives of others.
That is why we encourage you to get involved and allow God to use you, because as you step out and do what God has called you to do, you help us to make an impact on hurting families and lives.
We have a vision and that is to reach the inner cities of the world.
It is not only preaching that reaches and impacts people, but it is every one doing our part to make an impact.
We are all on the same team.
We want you to go for God’s purposes on your life. We want you to blow it up. We want to have a successful business. We want you to get that degree. We want you to grow as a leader. We want you to graduate the home. We want you to go to the next level. We want you to have a big ministry. We want you to use your gifts and be good at it.
Why because the better you get, the better the team gets and the more of an impact we make on this hurting world.
Tell your neighbor “I am not mad at you” or the slang “I ain’t made at cha”
Not only that, but you and I should want to be the best. You should want to be the best that you can be in what God has called you to do.
Why because the better you are, the better we are.
In Closing:
So, success is not what we have or even what we accomplish, but success is how well we carry out what God’s plan for our lives.
- In that plan is loving Him with all our heart, mind and soul.
- In that plan is doing our part in the body (we all have different parts)
- In that plan is making an impact on a hurting world. (what we do should impact others)
