A Different Definition of Success

Spread the news! Success is defined by Jesus Christ not by man. We will work for the next five weeks, on this blog, and on the Pursuing Biblical Direction podcasts redefining success. At the end of this time period, you will understand what success means to and for the Kingdom of God.  Why are we afraid of success? Is it the work, the courage you need, the world and all of its goods, the time it takes, the amount of planning required or is it just that word itself? What is it that makes you afraid to go after success in your life?

I have days when I don’t feel successful, no matter what I have accomplished. I feel like I am in a whirlwind of shame, guilt and depression. I want to give up on everything I am doing, and just live as if I have nothing to do but breath. Inside of me is changing but everything I see on the outside is the same as it was yesterday, last week, last month, last year, last decade. My life has not changed one iota. I feel very unsuccessful. There are those days.

I have days when I think everything I am doing has been successful and will lead to greater success. I feel like I am at my peak of success but know there is more waiting for me. I have hope that Jesus will do everything He says He will do in my life.  I dream of being in the middle of my success therefore it is real to me in my dream but not in life as of yet. All is good in the world. There are those days.

I have days when neither one of these matter. Life is good today and I don’t care about tomorrow or yesterday. Whatever happens, happens. My life is on track, today, and we will just see about tomorrow. I can deal with tomorrow when it comes and forget what happens yesterday. I am happy and content with who I am and where I am. There are those days.

Which day do you think I am the most successful? Can you believe, every single one of them? We are Christians who have the hope of Jesus Christ. He leads us each and every day. What does success mean to Him? Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us our first clue and most important aspect of success. “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”

Obedience to God is the definition of success, no matter how big or small. My obedience to Him is how I should gage success. It is how He gages success. Proverbs 3:5-6 is going to be our mantra for the next five weeks because everything we are going to learn is covered inside this small but powerful sentence. You will know you have been successful, when you meet Jesus, and He says to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:21) If your definition of success matched God’s definition, this is your hope.

I feel unsuccessful at times because I cannot see the result of the work I am doing. The question is not, “How do I feel?” It is, “Am I following Jesus?” Am I being obedient to Him? This is how you can gage whether you are successful or not. This is good information because what you have, what you have done and where you are in your desires, has no bearing on success. Obedience to Jesus Christ is what success looks like for a Christian. If you are obeying Him each and every day you are successful.

Obedience doesn’t have to be Jesus constantly telling you what to do every minute of the day. It is you obeying what He has told you to do every single day. An example would be speeding. Jesus told me many years ago to get my speeding under control. Even though that was many years ago does that count for obedience today? Absolutely. Should I speed, I am disobeying God’s directive to me to quit speeding. None of us have to be in constant communication with God to be in, or out of obedience. If Jesus told you to stop doing something that you are still doing today – you are in disobedience to God. This is why you do not feel successful.

I forget “success” is not about His vision for my future, it is about my daily obedience to Him. I have to believe I am successful because I am in obedience to God, today. I have to stop looking at what I think I should have and start looking at what I am successfully doing for Him. What I am doing will have an impact on the people around me. What I am doing has an impact on ME. What you are doing will have an impact on the people around you. What you are doing will have an impact on YOU.

I have successfully changed my definition of success. I will continue to speak about success and teach you everything I know, so you are successful at changing your definition as well.  This is all within the scope of working out your salvation. The Father was successful raising our Saviour to life and He will be successful raising you to life too in Jesus Christ. Do you have this hope? Are you doing EVERYTHING Jesus has directed you to do?

Success depends on our definition of success. Our mission here, on earth, is to teach people of this hope in Jesus Christ to live an abundant life. To accomplish that mission you must have the hope yourself. The success of His mission is contingent on your hope first. Then, when you have it, you can spread it. The Leading Yourself IN Success Workshop is how I am spreading that news. How will you spread it? You can start by changing your definition of success.