Google is amazing. Some love it. Some hate it.
I confess: Google is my trump card when I need to know something really fast. Recently, I searched “top skills you need to be successful” and I was blown away. I quickly discovered:
- Everyone has their own definition of success
- Everyone has their own list on what it takes to be successful
- Most results centered on power, prestige, possessions, and popularity
- Now I understand why we are confused
How would you define success? A lot of my Google search results considers power, possessions, prosperity, and prestige to be the highest of goals. It is true…God blesses some people with positions of power or wealth.
God’s View of Success
Before you start down the path towards success, it is wise to define it. When King David was about to die, he gave his son, Solomon, the following advice:
As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. 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. (1 Kings 2:1-4 NLT)
Notice that David did not tell his son to build up his kingdom with great armies, or to gather wealth from other lands, or to defeat his enemies in battle. Instead, his formula for success was to follow God and obey Him.
When Solomon became king, he did not ask the Lord for wealth and power, but for wisdom and discernment in order to lead God’s people. God was pleased by this request and granted it, giving Solomon a wise and understanding heart, more than any man had ever had before.
He also gave Solomon the things he did not ask for—riches and honor among men (1 Kings 3:1-14). Solomon took his father’s advice to heart, at least for most of his reign, and reflected on it in his writing in Proverbs:
My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:1-4 NLT)
Are You Successful
At the end of your life, how will you know you have succeeded? I reject the world’s definition of success and drafted my own. Success is loving and serving God while living in a way that pleases him. Success to me asks and answers the following:
- “It’s important how my kids turned out.”
- “Did I live a personally rich and fulfilling life?”
- “Did I positively change lives?”
- “Did I build meaningful and deep relationships?”
- “Did I really love my spouse?”
- “Did I make a difference?”
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. (Deuteronomy 10:12 NLT).
What about you? What is your concept of success? Have you deliberately developed it or has it simply evolved through the influence of the culture around you? And, is it the right concept of success?
