Measure of Success

By Brian Sharpe

The measure of success is not about who you know or what you have accomplished in life—it is our faithfulness to live out the ways of God.

Solomon, in terms of accomplishing many things during his life span, was not very successful. He came to the end of his life and wrote that everything he had accomplished was “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” He was a man who didn’t say no too often to his personal desires, and that ultimately was meaningless. At the end of his life, he wrote these words: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). All that matters is our faithfulness to God. We cannot control the outcomes, but what we do control is our faithfulness to live out the ways of the Lord.

            Now contrast Paul with Solomon. Paul was told when he came to Christ that he was going to have to suffer, and that is what happened. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, he says:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Paul suffered a lot, but he was faithful to live as God has asked him to live.

            When we look at our life, how do we define success? How do we define what matters most? Do we have the same definition as God does? God has called all of us to be faithful to live in obedience to Him, and He will take care of the rest. We are called to faithfulness with no backup plan. What I mean by that is that we live out the ways of God without concern for the outcomes. We give of our time, money, and talents, allowing them to be used by God without expectation of what we will get in return. We already know the outcome: we get to spend eternity with Christ in Heaven. We may not know how God is going to use us and our faithfulness on this earth, but what we do know is that He calls us all to be faithful. We need to spend some time and ask ourselves if we are being faithful to the call God has placed on our lives. Success in the Christian is measured by faithfulness, so let’s be faithful. We are all seeking to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”!

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