I recently spoke to a Beginning Experience group on “God’s measure of success”. The more I studied the issue, the more I was struck by how radically different God’s thoughts are from ours. I know what you’re thinking, “We know that already because Scripture says it”. Then let me ask you something. If we know it then why don’t we act like we know it? Why are we surprised, and even offended, when things happen in our lives that we don’t understand? Why don’t we act like we know it when faced with the choice to either believe what God says about us or continue to believe the same old dysfunctional stuff about ourselves?

    The subject of success is one of the areas of our lives that this issue frequently impacts. It seems that people most commonly use a number of predictable criteria for judging whether or not they are successful. It probably shouldn’t be a big surprise to discover that men and women tend to use different criteria for judging their level of success. It also shouldn’t be too big a surprise to find out that God uses a completely different set of criteria to judge success because, as I said, God’s ways are radically different than ours. Men in general tend to look at success through the filter of accomplishment. We determine the success of ourselves and others by using standards of size, quantity, quality and accolades. I am successful if my house is over 3000 square feet. However, if my neighbor’s house is 3500 square feet, then he must be more successful than I am. I’m a success as a pastor if there are 800 people attending my church on the average Sunday morning but a failure if there are only 150. I’m a success if I drive a Lexus but a failure if I drive a Geo. If my boss doesn’t say nice things about me, I’m a failure as an employee. We believe that supervisors are more successful than regular employees. If I have articles written about me in the local news paper I am a success, but if I don’t my life doesn’t really matter. Many men believe they are a success only if their kids are the best students, the most musically talented or, even better, their kids are star athletes. For women the standards are just as rigorous but generally lie in different areas.

    Women tend to use the filters of how they feel and the quality of their relationships to determine success or failure. Women are deemed successful if they feel good about themselves and about the people that are closest to them. However, they are failures if they don’t feel good about those folks. If there is good communication in their marriage, it is successful. However, if the husband doesn’t talk much on an intimate level then the marriage isn’t fulfilling and must be in trouble. If their kids like each other they are successful parents but if they fight then they have failed. It is easy for Christian women to compare their husbands with the pastor or with men on Christian radio and determine that their own husband is a success or a failure based on how he measures up to those “role models”.

    So how does God measure or determine success? Paul described it in 2 Timothy 4:6-8. In the New International Version it reads “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”. Paul is clearly stating by what he is says and by what he as by doesn’t say. What he says is that the measure of his successfulness will be determined by two things: what he did with God’s calling and whether or not he did it in faith. These two criteria and only these two will be his judge. What he doesn’t mention are any of his accomplishments. Considering his situation (the fact that he was about to be martyred) it would have been very normal and expected for him to begin citing his accomplishments: things like winning thousands to Christ, healing hundreds and probably thousands or, even better, writing a good portion of the New Testament.

    Paul knew that these common criteria for judging success were really very unimportant. He knew that man’s thoughts are far below God’s thoughts, even in the area of judging success. This knowledge gave Paul great peace and strength, even when facing imminent death. It is absolutely thrilling to realize that God will use this same set of criteria to judge each of us. When we stand before God on that day our reward will be determined by these two criteria: Did we do what God called us to do and did we go about doing it in faith? We think the biggest problem is that we don’t know if we are doing what God has called us to do. In fact, a good portion of us have a difficult time even believing that God has something for us to do. Well, let me assure you that each and every one of us has a job to do. We really do have a purpose and, contrary to what most of us like to claim, I honestly believe that deep down inside we generally know what it is.The real problem is that we’re fearful because we don’t have a clear understanding of how to go about doing it.

What we don’t see is that this predicament isn’t a problem at all and that it is absolutely normal and exactly the way God wants it. Most of us would agree that if we know what God wants us to do but don't really know how to do it, we are totally dependent on God. The dificulty comes when God asks us to step out in faith and begin doing what He has called us to do. What we fail to understand is that it takes great faith to step out before the plan and the ability become real to us. This is exactly how God wants it to be because only what is done in faith is pleasing to God. The fact is, if we knew how to accomplish God's plan for us we wouldn’t  need faith at all. Years before Paul reached the immanent end to his life, God had inspired him to write in Rom 14:23 “…for whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin” (Amp)

God’s measure of success is really quite simple: FAITH = SUCCESS! When we look back on our lives, do we see faith (trust and confidence in God) in action or do we see fear and doubt? God loves to see faith in His people. God is pleased with faith. God rewards faith! Only one type of person lives by faith: "The Righteous shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.” Heb 10:38 Amp