Have you discovered that we live in a success-driven culture?
You've heard this statement, or one similar to it: "If you are not winning, you must be doing something wrong!"
Which leads me to ask the obvious question: "How do I know if I am a winner or loser in life?"
In some areas of life, it's really easy to measure success. In sports, we most often measure success by who has scored the most points at the end of the game. In business, the successful people and companies are those with the highest margin of profit...
...But, how does a child of God measure whether his life has been one of success or failure?
It's a question that makes many of us uncomfortable, but it's one we really ought to ask (so I'll ask it one more time:
How can a follower of Christ "know" that he or she is living "successfully" according to God's measurements???
I used to think this was a complicated answer. When I started attending church years ago, I remember seeing offering envelopes in our pews and at Sunday School. There were several different boxes to check (Did you read your Bible? Did you pray? Did you share your testimony? Can you increase your offering by 25%?). This was my first introduction to the "Successful Christian Scorecard." However many boxes you could fill would determine how "good" a Christian you had been this week. If you had blown it, oh well, better luck NEXT week!
As I am getting older, I am discovering that the answer of successful Christian living has very little to do with that kind of scorecard and that the answer is actually pretty simple.
Successful Christian living can be measured in two areas: Abiding and Obedience. Abiding is simply having my heart anchored to the very heart of God (Loving HIM)--I must commune with Him, walk with Him, worship Him. Obedience is simply living in cadence with God's heartbeat (Living for OTHERS)--I must live out the unchanging principles of Christ's Kingdom in my "normal" everyday life.
Both abiding and obedience are rooted in your heart. Only YOU can truly know if you are seeking the HEART of God and following the WAYS of God.
How successful do you consider your life as a Christ follower?
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