I have a beautiful Japanese maple tree in my front yard that provides a home for birds in the spring, refreshing shade in the summer, and gorgeous foliage in the fall. It’s an amazing creation of God. It’s also a wonderful example of what He desires to do in the lives of Christians. He wants us to be firmly rooted in Him, to demonstrate to the world the beauty of a life transformed by Christ, and to be fruitful in our characters and in every good work He’s prepared for us to do (Eph. 2:10). In other words, God’s goal is that we be spiritually successful.
But sometimes we’re too busy pursuing our own personal advancement to notice we may be climbing the world’s ladder of success rather than God’s. His ladder has different rungs or principles that lead us step by step into eternity. Of course, I’m not saying it’s wrong to have wealth or prominence. There are many biblical examples of prosperous, influential servants of God—Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, and Daniel are just a few. But God’s ladder must come first.
It’s hard for us to accurately evaluate spiritual success because earthly evidence is easier to see. From a human perspective, Jesus could have seemed like a failure. He didn’t change the culture for the better by erasing poverty, slavery, and injustice. He ended his life with only a handful of followers and many enemies. But in His Father’s eyes, Jesus’ ministry was a complete success because He fully obeyed the will of His Father, even to the point of death on a cross for sinners. His exultation didn’t come until He returned to heaven, and the same will be true of us as well.
You don’t have to feel like a failure simply because you aren’t measuring up to the culture’s standards of prosperity.
Christians live according to divine truths, not the world’s expectations. If you want to live a truly successful life, read Psalm 1—it explains God’s path to a fruitful life.
by Dr. Charles Stanley – July, 2021
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