God recently showed me the secret to lifelong success!
I’m sharing this because I figured that you might be interested in seeing what success looks like!
If you want to find out how you can have lifelong success, I encourage you to keep reading.
Here is my story!
I had started working at a new job and for the first time, the team I was a part of, was like family from day one!
This, I attribute to the fact that we all share a deep rooted faith in Jesus Christ.
So, we all were technically family!
I met a lovely woman who was farther in her years than I; yet, her joy was like that of a child.
I observed her everyday and I couldn’t help but notice that she always responded positively, she was happy and her excellent work certainly brought glory to God!
She would talk to me about Jesus and I learned more about her life and found that she really does live her life on the foundation of God’s word.
Her heart was humble enough to tell you her weaknesses and shortcomings, yet she always brought the attention back to Jesus and how He deserves all of the glory.
She was committed to the kingdom of God and regularly served in church.
She would go to sketchy neighborhoods to evangelize to people that would probably not ever hear the gospel if she hadn’t visited them.
When my family faced trials, she would pray over us until I could feel heaven surround me.
I mean, this woman was on fire for Jesus!
She has been on fire for Jesus, most of her life and still every single day she shines, as if she was just baptized that afternoon!
I could go on forever, but you get the point.
This sister lives for Jesus!
God told me this, deep in my spirit, a short while after meeting this wonderful woman of God…
“This is what success looks like.”
Now, I will let you in on some deeper context.
I was Internally struggling, when I met her.
This job was not my vision of what success looks like.
I wanted my ministry to take off, yet I was working at a job that I thought was below my capabilities.
I’m just being honest here…
I had experience that qualified me to be doing a job much more technical, yet God sent me to work below my abilities. (Or, so I thought.)
My attitude towards the season that I was in was very poor.
I wanted to be successful and I saw myself farthest from success.
Then God told me that this godly woman was an example of success.
She was working at the same place that I was.
Her position was not glamorous or corporate.
Why would God tell me that this is what success looks like?
This is why:
Success to God,
Won’t look like worldly success!
God doesn’t measure success the same way that culture does.
Culture considers the here and now, while God considers eternity!
Any successful investor or wealthy person would tell you that
it’s important to invest what you earn towards future growth.
We have all seen the stories of people who gain a fortune in a single moment and spend it on material things; that are amazing in that moment, but depreciate over time.
They end up spending it all and most end up losing it all because they couldn’t maintain that lifestyle.
They couldn’t afford to maintain the Maserati and they couldn’t afford the home insurance after a couple of years, so they had to sell.
Most people who spend their money on material pleasures, end up in more debt than they have ever been in before; or even homeless.
Those who chose to take what they earn and invest in their future, end up having more than they imagined; for the rest of their lives.
Culture paints success as a lakeside mansion with twelve expensive cars and parties every night.
Success by culture’s standards only lasts for a short while.
God offers success that lasts for all eternity!
Though I do not want the lifestyle that culture promotes, my view of success was all wrong!
I saw that my job was not a place where I could be successful because it was not advancing me towards my ministry or business goals.
God showed me that I could be successful while working at that very job.
Maybe not successful by the worlds standards of success, but I could be successful by God’s standards.
God is the master of all eternity, so being successful by His standards, really is the true definition of success!
The one who created me gets to determine what a successful life for me would be.
He showed me this wonderful coworker as a picture of what He defines as successful!
This matters more than anything else in the world!
If I’m successful to my Creator,
I am successful!
Period.
God won’t ask me how popular Hungry Still? was.
He won’t check on how many sales that I made!
The views on my content or the number of subscribers for my email list, won’t be the standard that God measures me by!
All of that will be burned up and meaningless.
“each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
I Corinthians 3:13, 15 NKJV.
What will remain?
“whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
Hebrews 12:26-27 NKJV.
What cannot be shaken?
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalms 16:8-11 NKJV.
Those who are with God, remain.
Remain with God is also translated, from the Greek text, as ‘dwell with’ or ‘abide’.
How do we abide with God?
“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
I John 3:24 NKJV.
What are His commandments?
Let’s read some of the verses that come prior to the verse that we just read.
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
I John 3:16-23 NKJV.
“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.””
Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 NKJV.
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I Thessalonians 5:14-18 NKJV.
Here is the key to success,
according to the purpose that our Creator made for us:
Love God.
Love people.
This is our purpose!
This is why that woman of God that I worked with was seen as successful!
She was doing the will of God faithfully; year, after year, after year!
One day, I asked her this question:
“What do you set your mind on every day?What is your focus?What is your goal every single day?”
She told me this…
“I pray and ask God to do something through me and I keep watch throughout the day, for what He might want to do through me.”
Each day, she committed her mind to God and wanted God to have His way in her life!
Every day for her is the day that God can move mountains.
She didn’t look at circumstances, she looked at God.
Her focus was God!
The Kingdom of God was her goals!
Considering others and loving them, that was what made her so successful!
That is what success looks like!
This is how you can be successful, according to the only standard that will last forever!
It’s better to be successful in God’s eyes,
than successful by the worlds standards!
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,”
Colossians 3:23 NKJV.
Photo by Dominika Roseclay
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
