How do you define Success?

[evangelist6589]

There are lots of people in the church that claim Christianity yet are no true converts. Was listening to a Charles Stanley sermon yesterday and he spoke about many that profess Christ, yet have not repented and have not changed their ways. One such example of someone that may not be saved is this author

Jon Acuff

You read his chapter on Success and its all his opinion and his experience with ZERO to NO scripture involved. But read Charles Stanley's book on Success and you get scripture, Bible, and a God focused view on success, which is doing what God has called you to do, and being what God has called you to be. Acuff's books sell like hotcakes and get lots of positive reviews on Amazon, but his books are all about his opinions and experiences with little to no scripture involved.

So I believe the Bible defines success as this.

Doing what God has called you to do, and being what God has called you to be. God sets our goals and creates our paths and we are to follow them.


When we have Godly goals, God is behind our goals and is committed to our success. For example I have the following goals this year.

1) Read my Bible through
2) Stay in Phone contact with family every week
3) Stay committed to doing evangelism and growing in the Lord
4) Get a better paying job so I can pay down debts & save.

These are Godly goals and so God is behind them. But if I create me type goals that will benefit me alone, then God is not behind them.

 

[Thousand Hills]

Is this the Stanley book you are referencing, if so I read it several years back and it was very helpful.

http://www.christianbook.com/succes...urpose/charles-stanley/9780785265900/pd/65900

A couple of verses to think about:

Psalm 37:4 - 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

I'm still learning to stop trying to chase "sucess" and instead focus more on trying to be pleasing to the Lord. I'm continually amazed at how God has blessed me in greater ways than what "I" thought I wanted.

I Corinthians 7:17-20 17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

I get impatient, there's something to be said about being content at whatever stage in life we are in, and content with God's calling at that particular point in time. We tend to want to look forward to something rather than enjoying the possibly unseen blessings that surround us.

 

[evangelist6589]

Indeed so. Certainly better and more Biblical than the Jon Acuff book "Quitter" which mostly is a book on finding your dream job, but has a chapter on success, and the book is not practical but philosophical which makes it bad given that the author does not use the Bible.

I am growing spiritually, so its wrong to be content in that area without growth as we all need to grow. However economically I am not in a good spot and I believe the Lord has opened the door to relocate closer to my family, and in an area with allot more jobs making it easier for me to save and pay down debts. Its hard in my current area given there are not a lot of jobs.

Is this the Stanley book you are referencing, if so I read it several years back and it was very helpful.

http://www.christianbook.com/succes...urpose/charles-stanley/9780785265900/pd/65900

A couple of verses to think about:

Psalm 37:4 - 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

I'm still learning to stop trying to chase "sucess" and instead focus more on trying to be pleasing to the Lord. I'm continually amazed at how God has blessed me in greater ways than what "I" thought I wanted.

I Corinthians 7:17-20 17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. 20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

I get impatient, there's something to be said about being content at whatever stage in life we are in, and content with God's calling at that particular point in time. We tend to want to look forward to something rather than enjoying the possibly unseen blessings that surround us.

 

[Thousand Hills]

I am growing spiritually, so its wrong to be content in that area without growth as we all need to grow. However economically I am not in a good spot and I believe the Lord has opened the door to relocate closer to my family, and in an area with allot more jobs making it easier for me to save and pay down debts. Its hard in my current area given there are not a lot of jobs.

Agree, Paul said that he learned to be content (Phillipians 4:11). So its definetely something that does not come to us naturally, only through the process of santification. However, apathy does come naturally.

Good luck on the potential move. :thumbsup: