Today, I will discuss success. I have been reluctant to discuss this topic because I do not want to be associated with the teaching of "Theology of Success" or "Prosperity Gospel," which is not based on the complete teachings of the Bible. But two weeks ago, I felt the Holy Spirit put a burden on me to discuss this topic from a Biblical perspective.
If we ask people, "What does success mean to you?" we will get answers like this: managed to do something very well, became rich, got a high position at work, made big profits, managed to win a competition, became a champion in a sports competition, had many followers, became famous, etc. If we look at those answers, people often look at success in terms of the amount of profit, wealth obtained, or followers, as well as the level of progress, popularity, and achievements achieved.
In general, those things can be a success. However, as children of God, we need to understand success more fully and correctly. True success cannot be separated from God and His word! Let's read Joshua 1:1, 7, 8 – "After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ... "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
If we pay attention, the source of Joshua's success came from GOD, by paying attention to and doing His word. A success apart from GOD, that does not glorify His name, or in ways contrary to His word is NOT true success! Psalm 1:1-3 states: "Great blessings belong to those who don't listen to evil advice, who don't live like sinners, and who don't join those who make fun of God. Instead, they love the Lord's teachings and think about them day and night. So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful" (ERV).
Illustration: Howard Robard Hughes, Jr (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, industrialist, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, hotelier, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest men in the world. Hughes was one of the most influential aviators in history; he set several world air-speed records, built the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 "Hercules" aircraft (better known to history as the "Spruce Goose"), and acquired and expanded Trans World Airlines which later merged with American Aviation. Hughes was successful in his achievements and career but sadly didn't know God and His word. Hughes had eccentric behavior and a reclusive lifestyle later in life, which was partly caused by worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder. He only cuts his hair and nails once a year.
True success includes four aspects: spirituality, character, behavior, and fulfillment of the task or mission that GOD has given each of us. Let's discuss the first aspect:.
1. Spiritual aspect. The Lord Jesus said: "This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). True success begins and is based on knowing the true God or Jesus as our LORD and Savior. This knowledge of the true God brings us eternal life and gives us the right direction and purpose in life.
2. True success relates to the quality of our character, which is having the character of Christ. We will produce this character when the Holy Spirit leads our lives, so Paul describes this character as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person's life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (ERV). Here, success is not measured by what we do, but by who we are or our character. No matter how successful we are in work, study, ministry, or achieving high achievements in specific fields, if we do not have a Christ-like character, we are failures in the eyes of GOD!
3. The third success relates to our behavior in fully obeying God's will. Hebrews 11 mentions the heroes of faith. By world standards, they were not successful people. On the contrary, their lives were full of challenges and suffering. Verse 39 says: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” But in God's eyes, they were successful people because of their faith and obedience to God's will.
We can only be said to be successful persons if we are willing to obey God's will. Jesus has shown it. According to world standards, Jesus failed, and the end of His life was tragic: betrayed by His disciples, abandoned by His followers, arrested, tried, mocked, spat on, beaten on the head, whipped, and crucified. It's a very despicable life and shows absolutely no success. But the word of God says: “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8-11).
True success goes beyond what we achieve in this world! Humanly speaking, Jesus ended His life tragically, but behind that, the Father highly exalted Him!
When we go to heaven, we may be surprised to see that Christians who seem ordinary, little known, and even underestimated by many people receive honor from God because of their obedience to Him. On the other hand, we might also be surprised when we see Christians who, during their lifetime, were known as prominent Christian figures but were instead criticized by God because they did not do His will.
4. True success is not determined by how much we have produced in our lives, whether materially, developing our abilities or talents, or the fruits of our service, but by our sincerity and faithfulness in carrying out our tasks, missions, or God's call to each one of us. In the parable of a master who gave talents to his three servants, the second servant, who only produced two talents, received the same praise as the servant who produced five talents (Matthew 25:21,23). God sees the results and the process, namely our sincerity and faithfulness in doing it. That's why we don't need to feel jealous or inferior when seeing other people who can earn more than us. If we have carried out the mission or task that God has given us as best as possible, don't be discouraged when the results are not as good as others.
Let’s learn from the prophet Jeremiah. For over fifty years of his ministry, he faced opposition and imprisonment. Unlike people in Nineveh who repented after listening to Jonah’s message, people rejected Jeremiah’s messages. They hated him and accused him of being a false prophet. From a human perspective, he was a failed prophet, but not in the eyes of God!
The measure of success according to God is very different from the world. Jesus said: "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark. 10:42-45).
In closing, I will tell you this story. There is a Christian who is very grateful for the gift of salvation that God has given him. He wanted to serve God but did not have the gift of singing, playing music, or in leadership. After praying for seeking God’s will, God led him to do something he could do, namely driving a church bus. He was obedient to the task God gave him. Every Sunday, he picked up the children in his church community to take them to Sunday school. Week after week, month after month, year after year, he carried out this service earnestly and faithfully. There was a child whom he had picked up for almost seven years, but he was not yet willing to surrender his life to God. The driver continued to pray for and pick up the child. After being picked up 400 times, the boy surrendered his life to God. It turned out that God later used this child in an extraordinary way. His name was Norman Geisler, one of the greatest apologists of our time. In the eyes of the world, the driver was just an ordinary man, but in the eyes of God, he is His successful child because he has the four aspects of success we discussed above.
Have you come to know the only true God in the Lord Jesus? Do you have a character like Christ? Have you obeyed God in everything? Have you carried out your duties and calling from God seriously and faithfully? Do not get caught up in chasing worldly success, which is false and only temporary. Let us pursue true success in God. May the Holy Spirit help us.
