How do you define success? In the world’s standards,
climbing the ladder to make more money, have more prestige, power and fame; is
success. But as a Christian, Christ’s standards are just the opposite. He tells
us to die to ourselves, lose your self for Christ, let others be first and you
last. To be great in the kingdom of God
Matt 5:19-20
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven.
NKJV
Without the
sacrifice of Christ, I would be pursuing my own glorification, but because Of
Christ, I have been transformed and now I am pursuing God’s glory.
C. J.
Mahaney puts it well in his book, Humility
True Greatness
“Consider your own life for just a moment. Where would you
be today if He had not ransomed you, if He hadn’t liberated you? I’ll tell you
where. You would be self- sufficient, seeking to cultivate self-confidence for
the purpose of self-glorification.”
“But what has happened to you? If you’ve been genuinely
converted, you’ve been forgiven and transformed. And though for now there
remains in you a temptation and tendency to sin, a fundamental and radical
change has occurred so that you have the desire to serve others and to see God
glorified. We know the inner call to lay down our lives for one another because
He laid down His life for us. What a powerful death! The cross ransoms, the cross
liberates, the cross transforms! True greatness is attained only by emulating
the Savior’s example-and made possible only by the Savior’s sacrifice.”
If I follow
the world’s standards, then success is all about me, me, me! Continually
pointing to me! God’s standard for success is pointing to Jesus. It is no
longer about me, but it is all about Christ.
Look at
Paul. He had all the worldly success anyone could ask for in his day. (Phil
3:2-7) but he said that the things that were gain to him, he now counts as loss
for Christ. He says that to live is Christ and to die is gain!
Philipians 3:7-9
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss
for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in
Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that
I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead.
What is
success? Success is a woman who gives up her life to raise her children,
instead of raising herself up to ‘be something’ in the eyes of the world.
Success is dying to herself while she supports and serves her husband and children.
Success is giving up riches so you can give to the poor ad needy. Success is
giving up comforts and an easy lifestyle to preach Christ to those who have never
heard. Success is losing one’s life for the sake of the gospel. Success is
going through cancer without complaining and continuing to praise the Lord and
worship Him and glorify Him until the end of one’s life. Success is when a
Father lays down his life for his family, choosing to use his time to spend
with his family to teach them to love and treasure Christ, to love His word and
to know the power of the resurrection rather than to have more money, more
prestige and more power. Success is laying down your life, your time and your
money for the sake of the unborn. Success is living to serve others even when no
one knows that you are sacrificing except the One who died and sacrificed for
you so you could sacrifice for others.
Success is when your treasure is in
Christ and you live your life to glorify God and enjoy Him. A wasted life is
one in which you pursue your own ambitions and take whatever you can to make
yourself look good. Your treasure is your career, your things, your prestige
and your life. Only what is done for Christ will last. As Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he
cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."
Proverbs 1:19
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
Where is your treasure? If Jesus is
your treasure and you’re pursuing Him,
you will be willing to die and lay down your own ambitions for Christ. Pursue
righteousness and holiness without which no one will see God. Proverbs. 4 tells
us that wisdom is the principal thing;therefore get wisdom. And in all your
getting get understanding. It says to
keep your heart with all diligence. Proverbs. 2 tells us they were on the path
of righteousness but left it, never to return nor to regain the paths of life.
Jesus defines success in Mark 10.
Mark 10:41-45
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said
to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first
shall be slave of all. 45 For even the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many."
As C.J.Mahaney
says in his book Humility True Greatness,”greatness
doesn’t equal success, or talent, or ability, or power, or applause. It equals
servanthood. And it equals humility.”
Praise God that
we have hope to attain true greatness by the grace of God through the death and
resurrection Of Christ.
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