Want to become a successful writer? Write a book about success. Success at anything; real estate, sports, marriage, raising cattle, raising cane, books about success are big sellers!
Our society is obsessed with the subject. Our favorite word has become “more”. We claim passionately that “more is better”, bigger is best”, and “to have is definitely better that to have not”.
Success means – we say- more money, more cars, more clothes, bigger houses, and on and on it goes. We, also, have more divorces, more adultery, more crime, but, of course, that gets de-emphasized.
Preachers and churches have even gotten in on the act. It’s as if they have been vaccinated with this “success” needle. You have heard it often, “Spiritually equates success”, and vice versa.
It’s a strange thing: Jesus never understood that. He grew up in Nazareth in a cave. Did you know that? When He left Nazareth, to pursue His divine calling, He no longer even had a cave. Jesus said that He didn’t have any place to lay His head.
Doesn’t it strike you as odd that our Savior, our Redeemer, our example – Christ Himself – knew nothing of material prosperity? By every standard, being spawned by the materialists today, Jesus was a failure.
What is success anyway? By whose definition, do we rate this thing? Well, let’s read the rule book, you should have one handy, it’s called the Holy Bible.
There is a key to success in God’s sight: faithfulness! Not wealth, not charisma, not adoring followers, not TV ratings, but faithfulness.
Jesus said, “Be thou faithful until death and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
The book of Hebrews constantly reminds us that one day every thing that can be shaken will be shaken, so that those things that cannot be shaken will remain. (Hebrews 12:27).
Nell E. Mays penned the words to this magnificent song: keep me true, Lord Jesus, Keep me true!
Are you truly successful? By God’s standards? Are you being faithful to Him?
