What is true success in God’s eyes?
Matthew 22:37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”
Mark 10:23-27Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
John 17:3“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
Success is knowing God and living in a way that pleases him. It is loving him with everything we have—our heart, soul, and mind. The more we know him the more we will love him because he is love.
2 Corinthians 5:9So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
Success involves truly pleasing God. We need to form our agenda from what God teaches us. Our goals should ultimately be rooted in what we can achieve with integrity and in ways consistent with loving God and others.
Acts 16:31“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
Faith in Jesus brings true success because only through faith will we receive salvation and eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5:9So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.
True success requires obedience to God. When we are obedient, we accomplish all that he wants us to do, and that is enough.
Psalm 119:28I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word.
Psalm 119:54Your decrees have been the theme of my songs wherever I have lived.
Knowing and following God’s Word brings success because it reveals God’s will for our lives. Following God’s plan will always be our best path to success. God’s Word teaches us truth, and whatever is true can be counted on, providing a strong foundation for a fulfilling and productive life.
Joshua 1:8-9“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 119:115Get out of my life, you evil-minded people, for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
1 Kings 2:3-4“Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’”
We will be successful as followers of Jesus when we commit to vigorous spiritual training and preparation (Ephesians 6:10-18). We should begin by reading God’s Word consistently and inviting God to be part of our lives every day. When we consistently obey God’s Word, we will experience victory over our fears, over Satan’s tactics to derail our relationship with God, and ultimately, over sin and death. We will then experience incredible joy.
Matthew 20:26“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”
Serving and helping others brings success, for in serving others we find true joy.
Psalm 84:10A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
John 15:8, 16“When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. . . . You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”
Philippians 1:22If I live, that means fruitful service for Christ.
Success involves being productive—doing things that matter to God, even if they matter little in the world’s eyes. The Bible calls this “bearing fruit.” This kind of fruit grows out of our relationship with Jesus and our commitment to living by what he taught.
Deuteronomy 30:6-9“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! . . . Then you will again obey the Lord and keep all his commands that I am giving you today. The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do.”
Pleasing God is the key to success. The Lord blesses those who obey, because they live according to his intentions for them. God works in our hearts to make us spiritually successful.
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 16:3Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
Committing all we do to God is itself success. We must put God first in our lives, for only then will we understand what is really important.
Mark 4:19“All too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.”
True success comes by following God’s direction, but this will be derailed by our attraction to worldly things. If we long for money, position, power, fame, or pleasure, we will spend our energies to get these things, undermining our pursuit of God.
