What is true success? Is it attaining the highest of degrees? Driving the fanciest car? Owning a mansion? Attaining wealth and fame? If you have all this without God, it is not success.
Every human being has the desire to be successful in their own way. While nothing is wrong with that, it is important to do things according to God’s will.
Joshua chapter 1, verse 8 reads “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
The Key
The key to true success is putting God first, making Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour of our life, and walking in accordance with his will. It is only then that we will attain good success, by God’s term.
It doesn't mean that we will gain all the fame and fortune of this world, it's not all about “Health, wealth and Prosperity” as many modern preachers stress. It’s about trusting God with our lives and allowing him to work through us while laying hold of eternal life.
Seek God
Jesus reminds us in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Seeking the things of God should be a priority in our lives, afterwards everything else will fall into its rightful place.
The enemy comes only to kill, steal and destroy, one of his main strategies is to make us so busy that we have no time for God. Let’s not fall into that trap, let's put Jesus first.
Eternal life matters
In Luke chapter 12, Jesus told his disciples a parable of a rich man whose land was very fertile and productive. By the world’s standard he was a very successful man. He began thinking to himself, what shall I do since I have no place large enough to store my crops? His plan was to build larger barns to store his goods, rest, relax, eat, drink and be merry.
He thought he had everything, but the most important thing was missing. He had no relationship with God.
Before he could accomplish all those plans he made, God told him that very night he was going to die. And according to Luke 12 verse 21 “So it is for the one who continues to store up possessions for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Acquiring earthly things without God will profit us nothing. With God we have everything, without him we have nothing. It’s our eternity that really matters.
I pray that we will treasure Yahweh and the things of heaven. Let us not store our treasures here on earth. Wherever our treasure is, that's where our hearts will be also. Let us make Yahweh number 1 in our lives, true success can only be found in him.
I am Victoria Richards, a fourth-year medical student at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Serving the Lord brings me joy. I enjoy sharing the gospel through singing, writing poetry and encouraging others.