the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28
If I were to ask you to identify successful people that have lived in any era of time who would make your top 5? The better question is, what is it that makes them a success in your eyes or the eyes of others? I'm sure many names would be called because throughout history there are numerous examples of successful individuals. However I've discovered that our definition of success makes a huge difference in determining whether one is really a success. The word "success" itself means the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. So in essence, what we find ourselves aiming at is a key factor in our being successful. For instance, we live in a culture where many individuals are aiming at gaining position, possessions, popularity, or pleasures. If you don't believe me check out the lyrics of Drake in his song entitled Successful, "I want the money, and the cars, and the clothes, I just wanna be successful." In view of this perspective, success is interpreted as having status and symbols. However we all have known people who did not have a whole lot of stuff but that didn't mean they were not successful. For the next couple of days I want to share with you how to be successful. Before we go there, I first want you to know that God desires for you to be successful. He has actually determined for you to be a great success. Then why isn't everyone successful? Mainly because we misinterpret the true meaning of success. By unpacking the above scripture we can get a clear picture of success from the most successful person I know, our Lord Jesus Christ.
First of all, success is executing your purpose. Real success can only be attained by accomplishing God's purpose for your life. That's why knowing your purpose is so essential. More than anyone who has ever lived, Jesus operated completely in His purpose. From a youth He walked in step with His Father's will. On one occasion when He was only 12 years old and his parents were frightened because they didn't know where He was, He remarked, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49) In the scripture above He clearly gives us his purpose statement; to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Everything that he did was centered around him fulfilling his purpose. Notice as we discover our purpose we also better understand those things that are not a part of our purpose. Jesus stated that his reason for coming to Earth was not to be served. Given who He is, He could have easily decided to have people bow before him day and night, but that wasn't his assignment. One of the mistakes that we tend to make in life is trying to succeed in the wrong assignment. Let me make this plain. Imagine as a student your teacher wanted you to complete page 28 as a homework assignment. However, instead you complete page 38. Even if you get every answer correct on page 38 you would still fail because you completed the wrong assignment. Jesus did not make that mistake. He was able to stay focused on fulfilling the right assignment and then eventually say, "It is Finished!" (John 19:30)
First of all, success is executing your purpose. Real success can only be attained by accomplishing God's purpose for your life. That's why knowing your purpose is so essential. More than anyone who has ever lived, Jesus operated completely in His purpose. From a youth He walked in step with His Father's will. On one occasion when He was only 12 years old and his parents were frightened because they didn't know where He was, He remarked, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49) In the scripture above He clearly gives us his purpose statement; to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Everything that he did was centered around him fulfilling his purpose. Notice as we discover our purpose we also better understand those things that are not a part of our purpose. Jesus stated that his reason for coming to Earth was not to be served. Given who He is, He could have easily decided to have people bow before him day and night, but that wasn't his assignment. One of the mistakes that we tend to make in life is trying to succeed in the wrong assignment. Let me make this plain. Imagine as a student your teacher wanted you to complete page 28 as a homework assignment. However, instead you complete page 38. Even if you get every answer correct on page 38 you would still fail because you completed the wrong assignment. Jesus did not make that mistake. He was able to stay focused on fulfilling the right assignment and then eventually say, "It is Finished!" (John 19:30)
As a former basketball player and coach nothing was more exhilirating than scoring a basket by executing a set play correctly. In the same way, executing your purpose brings much fulfillment. Do you really wanna be successful? Well achieve it God's way by executing your purpose and staying in the right assignment!
PEACE!
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