What IS the Measure of Success According to God?
We must, Must, MUST be careful with how we measure “success.” Success in God’s economy should never be measured by a number of people or a number of dollars or whether we have droves of people applauding our efforts. People can “ooo and ahhhh” and clap their hands all day long, but that should never, ever be the measure of success. Obedience and accomplishing the will of God should always be the measure. Are we doing the thing God told us to do?
If real, Godly success was measured by numbers, then what happened at Calvary would have been less successful than what happened in Galilee when Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm and fed the 5,000. I’m not saying Jesus wasn’t successful in Galilee. I’m just saying that people were more attracted to Jesus when He was performing miracles and preaching things they had never heard before. To many, many people, Jesus was their entertainment. Herod even asked Him to basically perform tricks hours before He went to the cross.
What happened at Calvary on that precious rugged cross was much less attractive to people. Based on selfish motives and self serving ideas of what a king should be, they saw this dying Jesus as defeated and they may have even judged Him to be a fraud. They left Him….deserted Him. And Jesus was brutally killed because of their hatred towards Him.
Did this make Him “unsuccessful?” Because of the response of the PEOPLE???!!!??
Oh by all means on heaven and earth: NO!!
This was the most successful occurrence in the history of mankind! The death of Jesus and His taking the punishment for our sins was and is the very passageway for us to enter into paradise for all eternity! It wasn’t popular with the people at that time because they did not understand success.
What happened that day, and especially 3 days later when Jesus resurrected from death, shattered the fate of hell for any person who would call upon Him for salvation. THAT is SUCCESS!! Defeating the devil and crushing the powers of darkness… THAT is SUCCESS!! Making a way to live on the inside of our hearts by the power of Holy Spirit… THAT is SUCCESS!!
Popularity is not the measure, my friend. Seeking the heart of God doing HIS will (even in the face of opposition), THAT should always be the measure of success.
Remember this hymn?
TAKE MY LIFE
Frances R. Havergal (1874)
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Ever, only, all for Thee.
