Daily Devotional
Are You Really Successful?

August 28, 2020

Ponder This

Many people have the wrong idea about success. Someone overheard this conversation:

“You know you’re successful if you’re invited to the White House.”

“No, you’re successful if you’re in the Oval Office, the red phone rings, but the President is so interested talking to you, he doesn’t even answer it.”

“No, success is if you’re talking to the President, the red phone rings, he picks it up and says, ‘Here—it’s for you!’”

Now that, in the eyes of the world, is success.

But not necessarily so. You can be important, or rich, or notorious—even have power and still not be successful.

What is success? Listen very carefully. One definition of failure is “succeeding in the wrong thing.” That’s failure. A wise man has said, “Whatever a man does without God, in that situation he will do one of two things: Either fail miserably or succeed more miserably.”

May I ask you three questions about what you’re doing right now? Everybody’s going somewhere. If you get to where you’re going, where will you be? I’m not just talking about Heaven or Hell; I’m talking about what we call in this life. Second question: If you accomplish your goals, what will you have? And here’s the big question: Are the things you are living for worth Jesus dying for?

Practice This

Success is simply the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. Ask yourself, “Am I actively seeking to know God’s will?” Be diligent to find out what it is.