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Success

Previously, we said that the sufferings of this present time are simply unfit for comparison to our amazing future. But since the scales are so devastatingly uneven between glory and suffering, the same must follow for glory and success. Most people anchor their hope in being rich one day, while the rich ironically are some of the most hopeless people alive. Success is not safe, and in scripture, it is almost always more dangerous than suffering. But that isn’t just an ancient reality; it holds true even today.

- More people walk away from God today because their success has convinced them they don't need Him.

-More rich people kill themselves than poor people.

-And EVERY TIME Israel acquired great success, in scripture, that same success soon became a curse. It was the basis of their forgetting God.

Notice Paul addresses contentment in success as often as he does in poverty. You see, trouble—though it doesn’t feel good—is often good for us because it humbles us to a place where we can receive from God. Though success is good, it's often not good for us, because we are prone to make it god. We start feeling “self-made." C.S. Lewis writes, "Prostitutes are in no danger of finding life so satisfactory that they can't turn to God: the proud and self-righteous are in that danger." The secret to glorify God in success is the relentless pursuit of humility, not because humility makes you more successful, but because humility puts you in a posture to connect with Jesus.

Aim to be successful, but aim even higher to be humble. Success is truly success when it brings you to a greater place of gratefulness for Jesus. Success that makes you forget Jesus is a curse. That's why I try to live by this slogan, "Be humble or be quiet." Because without humility, you don’t have God, and without God success means nothing.

Prayer: Lord, you said that success comes from You. Help me to remember that today and give you the praise you deserve.