God’s Definition of Success: Serving Him, Not Impressing Others

Summary

This article challenges common ideas of success and replaces them with God’s definition. While people measure success through performance and recognition, Scripture reveals that true success is accepting Christ’s sacrifice and serving God through Spirit-empowered obedience. Religious activity alone does not equal success. Only a surrendered life that bears fruit for God’s glory fulfills His purpose. Eternal success is not what we do for God, but what He does through us.

Why Humans Measure Success

Humans desire to know how successful they are. My wife’s company once defined success as 100 percent accuracy. That lofty goal intimidated her and her co-workers because it wasn’t attainable. It has since been made more realistic.

I coached a girl this past track and field season who had never thrown the discus but had the potential to excel. She wanted to know how I defined success for her.

I told her the first goal was to meet the qualifying standard to participate in the conference championship at the end of the season, involving 32 teams. She did. The second goal was to place among the top eight throwers in that event. She finished sixth.

Why the Definition of Success Matters

Because our self-esteem depends on our ability to perform competently, the definition of success matters. A three-quart plastic container containing track and field medals I have won in throwing competitions sits on top of a bookcase in our living room. A box in a dresser drawer holds other awards I received. Do those containers prove I am a success?

Eternal Success Has Only One Measure

Fifty thousand years from now, only one definition of earthly success will count. As we look back and reflect on our lives, we will conclude that success is accepting Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and wholeheartedly serving the living God instead of ourselves.

Only Jesus Makes True Success Possible

Jesus makes success possible. We shouldn’t underestimate how difficult it was for God to make 100 percent sinners into 100 percent saints, clean outside and inside. He did it with blood.

The blood of goats and bulls achieved outward cleansing, whereas the priceless blood of Christ secured outward and inward cleansing. Jesus’ sacrifice frees us, not to live self-controlled lives, but to serve the living God. More about that shortly.

 “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV).

Beware of False Spiritual Success Markers

Like my accumulated awards, useless religious rituals are no substitutes for God’s success metric. What we decide to do for God doesn’t matter nearly as much as what we allow Him to do through us.

Attending every church service or small group meeting isn’t success. It isn’t volunteering in a people-helping ministry, preaching, teaching a class, growing a church, erecting a new worship structure, or a eulogy or obituary promoting us to heaven.

It isn’t tithing, daily devotions, or serving on a church board or committee. Successful people might do the above things, but doing them doesn’t automatically make them successful.

God's Definition of Success

It isn’t what we decide to do for God, but what God leads us to do through our submission to Him. “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (John 15:8 NLT). Success is discerning and doing the good deeds God has planned (Ephesians 2:10), empowered by His Spirit.

Jesus’ sacrifice supersedes Old Testament animal sacrifices. It alone is the basis for right standing with God. Its intended “successful” result is loving, glorifying, worshiping, serving, and obeying God as Holy Spirit-empowered living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 5:18). Our rituals are inadequate substitutes for God’s service agenda.

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