In Christ

What is true success in life? Some people may immediately think a lot of money in a bank account constitutes success. Others may think a job with huge earning potential is a mark of true success, or nice cars, houses, the best and highest education, etc. These things are not wrong to have in our lives, but it still doesn't show we are truly successful.

True success takes place first in our spirits when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour (when we are born again). True success also takes place in our souls (mind, will and emotions), and in our bodies manifesting in divine health. It also manifests in great relationships. All the material possessions a person may gain can be a by-product of true success, they are not success in itself!

Most of us have known people in our lifetime who may have had money or position, and yet have been miserable. Also, money cannot buy health. There are still diseases that medical science can't "fix”. When I was growing up, our nearest neighbours were quite wealthy, yet they continued to eat cheap, unhealthy food to save money. They may have left a sizable estate to their two sons, but we still didn't consider them successful, because they refused to give up that "poverty mentality” of saving all their money, instead of being generous to themselves and others.

The word "shalom” is a common greeting among Jewish people, and it actually means "nothing missing, nothing broken”. What they are actually saying is, "My prayer is that there is nothing missing, nothing broken in your life. You have wholeness and are successful in every area of your life!”

The apostle Paul writes from his prison cell in Philippians chapter 3, starting in verse 1, "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.” Then, down in verse 6 – 9 he goes on to write, "I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.”

The truest measure of a person's success in life is their level of intimacy with the Lord!

Submitted by Pastor Rena Mae