You hear a lot about success in our world today. It seems nearly anyone who is anyone lectures on how to be successful; successful in life, in our finances, in whatever field of work you have chosen, or even just in our everyday, hum-drum daily grind. But success can mean different things to different people. Again, to most in our get-ahead-ofeveryone- else world, it means climbing and fighting our way to the top. To be better than anyone else, or at least someone else in our field. The point is, that we are taught to stay, at any cost, off the bottom!
If you do much studying in the medical field, and by the way, I don’t - I believe you’d find out that the pressure, tension and drive to be better is the root cause of many a sickness. Think about it; we begin to push our kids to be ready for the best schools nearly before they are even out of diapers! They are pushed to excel in sports so that they can be eligible for that coveted scholarship to a good college. Push, push, push – it seems its never done. Then, once in that college they are again pushed to excel so that they can land that great job that’s supposedly just waiting for them if they will make the right grades. Some are lucky enough to get that job while others graduate deep in debt and working at a fast-food joint just to have an income to pay for all that push! All the while, doing everything they possible can in order to be a success.
Tragically, many are only successful enough to be able to eat once in a while at that fast-food joint where they work, and that’s with employee discounts! Of course, I realize that much of this is s stretch but to many it seems like reality.
Some writers claim that they have found the key to success. Well, I’ve been a writer for a lot of years, and frankly, I haven’t found just where they hid it. I have come to think that to many, that key, especially in writing, only exists for those who can write about finding success to lure in those who are looking for success. They buy the books and the author makes it big, but the key is lost in the pages and those reading never quite seem to be able to duplicate what they are reading about.
Many years ago, my goal was to be able to work from home so that I could earn enough money to be considered full-time in the ministry. I ran across this internet thing that claimed that for only $19.95 they would send five simple lessons after which you too would be as successful as they were. I fell for it. I dutifully paid my fee and just as fast as my credit card cleared, I had lesson one in my email box. I read through it, answered all the questions and fired it back. Bingo! Once again, just as quick as I emailed it back, I had lesson two in my email box. In a matter of an hour I had completed all five lessons and I had grown very excited about embarking on my new career that would help me accomplish my dream.
When I returned lesson five, I got an email telling me that I had arrived. All I had to do was to send an email to everyone I knew and ask them for $19.95 so that they could go through the lessons too. That was it. Just as I had been duped, in order to make it, I had to do the same thing and deceive all my friends. Nope. Not going to do it. I wasn’t going to make my friends turn into my enemies to do the same thing I had just done. I marked my $19.95 up to education as to how not to fall for another easy money maker.
The Bible has a very different view of success. Take Paul and Silas for instance. In Acts 16 we read how that Paul had a vision of the Holy Spirit blocking them from going deeper into Asia to spread the Gospel. Instead, he saw a man from Macedonia, part of Greece in Europe, bidding them to come there. They did. They preached expecting, I’m sure, for God to bless the vision and give them a multitude of souls for their obedience. Instead, they were able to convert one woman by the name of Lydia. As they went through the streets day by day preaching the Gospel, a demon-possessed girl kept following them crying out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” On the surface this may have sounded like she was there to help. In reality, she was making fun of them and belittling the gospel.
Paul had enough. He turned to her and said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” Immediately the evil spirit that had plagued the girl left. You’d think people would view that as a great thing. But the men who owned the girl were not so happy (for she had brought them great profit by telling others their fortune). Their source of income that had made them so successful, was now taken away. They used their influence on the leaders of the city and, long story short, had Paul and Silas put into prison.
There they were. They had obeyed the Holy Spirit and had entered into Macedonia. They were faithful to preach the truth of the gospel. And instead of great revivals and thousands coming to Christ, they found themselves beaten, placed in stocks and being held prisoners deep in the inner part of the prison. By our world of today, not very successful. The world system saw them as nothing but failures.
But we are told in verses 25-26, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” That caused the jailer to believe in Christ. He was saved along with all of his household. They were baptized and tended to the wounds of Paul and Silas. From that moment on, they were missionaries in Europe. The Church began to spread further and further west. Of course, they suffered more hardship for their faith, but the Good News of Jesus Christ went forward. They were a great success after all. Oh, not by the standards of the world, but by the standards of Almighty God. And that’s the standards that really count in the end.
So what about us today? We may or may not be successful by the standards of the world. But bear in mind, the world’s standards are going to one day be counted as nothing. Surely it is much more important to be successful by God’s standards, don’t you think? We do that by coming to Jesus Christ. Dedicating our lives to Him. Then in obedience to His word, do our part in the way He has anointed us to spread the gospel. Not everyone is going to be successful standing on a street corner preaching. But in our own way, beginning in our own world (that made up of those around us), we can use our every day lives to witness for Jesus Christ. That is success. That will bring lasting fulfillment. That will make all the difference.
How about it? Are you in to be more successful than life could every make you? I confess, I don’t have the key to success in this world. I couldn’t find it if I gave everything I am and have. But I do know who holds the key to lasting success in Christ. He’s my Father and He will give it to me to give to you. It’s all in coming first to Christ. So, here, I give the key to real success to you. Do you want it?
— Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.” Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these.