In his book, Choose Love not Power: How to Right the World’s Wrongs from a Place of Weakness, author Dr. Tony Campolo describes how the world measures success. Tony says the world measures success by any of three benchmarks: fame, power, or money. In other words, if you have achieved any of the three the world regards you as a success. So, if you have fame, you are considered successful because, to quote the old television show, “Cheers,” everybody knows your name. If you have power, you have people at your beck and call. If you have money, you can buy whatever your heart desires. As you can probably tell, these three benchmarks are synergistic, meaning they tend to attract each other. So, wealthy people with a lot of money usually also have a lot of power and attract a lot of fame and attention. The same is true if you are a powerful business tycoon. In your position of power you command a hefty salary plus bonuses, and you are famous in business circles and beyond. I think Campolo is right. Those three benchmarks do seem to be the drum beat to which the world marches; but is that what the Bible teaches? Does the Bible say we are to strive to be successful by achieving the Big 3?
Listen to what the Lord told a less-than-confident Joshua as he prepared to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua 1:7, 8, “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make you way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
How does God measure success? Does He measure it by wealth, power, or fame? No. God measures success by listening to Him and obeying His Word. Successful Christians may be poor as church mice. They may be those whom no one has ever heard of. They may be powerless in the eyes of the world. But, in God’s eyes they are a success if they obey Him to do His will. Consider God’s counsel to Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night, but that meditation must lead to action. As God says, “. . . be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” So, from God’s perspective, true success is knowing Him and doing His will as declared in the Bible. More than knowing about God or His Word, true success is measured by knowing Him personally and obeying His Word. If we do, God will give us true success in this life.
Not by might or by power but by My Spirit saith the Lord (Zechariah 4:6),
Irv