What is the measure of success? How do you know if you are successful or not? There is more than one standard of measurement. There is the world’s standard of success, the things the world says we must do. There are others standards of success, you know the things others think you should be doing. Then there is our standard of success for our own lives, this is usually based on our dreams of the things we want in life. And then, most important of all, there is the Lord’s standard for success. Which one do we live by? Measure of Success!

We know what the world’s standard of success is. It is based on money, power, and prestige. It doesn’t matter that the individual’s life might be in shambles and falling apart. What’s important is the facade. I think that one of the best ways to test true success is to find out what we are like without these things. Will it matter? If you don’t like yourself where you are, money, power and prestige will not help. It will only be an illusion.

If we live according to others standards of what we should be doing, we will be totally and utterly miserable. First of all, they really don’t know us. Secondly, there is no freedom in living like this. A person is always worrying about what others think. What bondage and pain this is to live under.

There may also be a lot of bondage when we live according to our own standards. It really depends upon our belief system. Do we have morals? Do we care about others? Do we have a dream that we are desperately trying to achieve in our own strength? Do we care about stepping on others to get to the top? Are we so down on ourselves that we are defeated before we even try?

Then we come to the Lord’s version of success. So, how do we find His success? We first need to find His definition of success. The Lord simply wants us to walk with Him and do what He tells us to do. This may sound boring and/or too religious, but there is nothing religious about it. I am not talking about just following some mere words printed on pages. The Bible simply tells us about the Lord and Who He is. It tells us how He deals with certain people and it gives us boundaries that are good for us. In all its greatness, it is only a book with written words unless we have a relationship with the One who wrote it. We have read these types of books and many of them. They tell about the history of peoples and cultures, but that is all we have are just the words. We don’t know how they loved, acted, whether they laughed or any of the things that weren’t recorded. This is the difference between the Bible and other history books, the author is still alive.

Holy Spirit is still with us. Jesus sent Him to us to comfort us and to teach us. How could He teach us if He isn’t alive. This is where Christianity is different from all other religions. Christianity is based upon reality and the truth that the Lord is real and He is alive. If you don’t believe me, you can check it out for yourself. I don’t have to prove anything, I already know.

I also know that the devil is real and he would rather we didn’t know about him. He operates in darkness and in secrets. He loses when his plots are uncovered, but succeeds when they go on unseen. He loves to tell lies and keep people from finding the truth, because he knows that if they do, he loses.

So, what is your definition of success now. Did it change? Do you believe any of this? In the end of your life here, the only thing that matters is who you followed, what choices you made, and the destiny you chose. If the Lord isn’t real, then nothing I talked about really matters and just go on with your life as it is. If, on the other hand He is real, it is really worth the time to find out more about Him. It basically comes down to this. Who do you want to control you? Do you want the world to control you, other people who think they know you, yourself? Or would you like to learn how to really live, to find the true purpose as to why you are here, to have a friend Who is closer than a brother, and to discover a world you’ve never seen or imagined? This is a journey. This is life. You haven’t truly lived until you discover Who Jesus Christ is and how much He loves you.

If you want to know more, check out some of my other posts. Life is a journey and discovering the truth is an adventure. The Lord is so wonderful. He could have made things boring but He didn’t. He loves to laugh. He is full of joy when His people love Him. He hurts when we hurt. He is a loving Father and He truly cares for us. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost, but He has given each and everyone of us the right to choose. Make your choice count.

Joseph