What Is Success?

Success means different things to different people.  Ask 4 or 5 people what success is and you will get 4 or 5 different answers on what success is in each of their worlds.

I think I have found the very best definition of success in a little book called 'Think on These Things' by John C. Maxwell.  He says, "Success is choosing to enter the arena of action, determined to give yourself to the cause that will better humanity and last for eternity."  That is a mouthful but it is also a mindful...so please take a moment to read it again, slowly.  If you still have not grasped it fully, read it again.  I had to read it several times myself.  It is a doozy!!   Ok, ready to move on?   Maxwell goes on to explain each of the seven components that make up his definition of success. But at the end of the chapter he summarizes as follows:

"Success is
Knowing the truth and accepting it;
Finding a need and filling it;
Facing a challenge and meeting it;
Losing a life and finding it;
Having a plan and following it;
Developing a talent and sharing it;
Going to heaven and knowing it."

Your world is your family, your home, your workplace, your church, organizations you belong to, teams you are on, etc.  You have a great opportunity to change your world.

Much like the infant church in the book of Acts, every major decision in your world should be made under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Just think about the widespread influence of that handful of people...Peter, John, Paul, Philip, Stephen, Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, Lydia, Apollos.  Who was behind the success of those early church planters?  The Holy Spirit.

So, I would encourage you - daily, invite the Holy Spirit into your world, not as a guest, but as a resident.  Speaking from experience, on the days I remember to intentionally do this, I can tell the difference in myself, in my home and in the interactions I have with people around me.  I am different.  My world is different.  It is successful.

Friends, God wants to use each of us to make our worlds successful. This is how we can do it.

Maxwell closes this chapter with, "I wish you all the success in the world!"

And I say to you, "As do I".