How To Measure Success

By Brent Barnett


We live in a world where success is defined in innumerable ways, most of which are wrong. Sadly, even the professing church has been prone to increasingly err in its understanding of true, Biblical success.

Whether the pressuring voices come from within the church or without, we must not give in to their distortions and perversions of what God says success really is.

Paul says toward the very end of his life, writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up 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 loved His appearing."

Paul had achieved great fame and power very early on in his life, outdistancing many of his contemporaries in terms of Bible knowledge and understanding (Galatians 1:14). He was mentored by the best Jewish teacher of all (Acts 22:3), and he was considered a man of high rank. But these things he counted as loss (Philippians 3:7).

This was not because there was evil in leading or having status, but it was that he had pursued these kinds of things at the expense of pursuing God. Thus, he chose to abandon the "success" which he had experienced in persecuting Christ in exchange for service to Christ, choosing rather to suffer with Him (Romans 8:17).

Paul understood that success is not what we can achieve or gain in terms of worldly things. It is not a race for rank, money, publicity or power. Sometimes he had much, and sometimes he had little (Philippians 4:12).

But in all things he was content, and as he wrote to Timothy, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). Thus, Paul measured success by the state of his heart in relation to God. Godliness, faithfulness, and contentment were paramount in terms of how he wanted his life defined.

From Paul’s testimony, we can conclude that success contains the following elements:

1) living life as a sacrifice, pouring out the love of God to others in service and ministry for the sake of Christ

2) fighting the good fight of faith, continuing to preach the gospel and contending for truth without compromise no matter the cost (2 Timothy 3:14)

3) finishing the course, persevering in godliness and not being disqualified from effective ministry due to a lack of discipline (1 Corinthians 9:27)

4) keeping the faith, continuing to serve Christ and abounding in the work of the Lord, wherever He has called us, never growing weary of loving Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Interestingly, Paul didn’t measure his success by how many converts he had or by how many people read his letters; rather, he was concerned with faithfulness, holiness, and endurance. He didn’t judge himself based upon how much he suffered but upon how he suffered for Christ’s sake.

Paul’s criteria for success had nothing to do with what others of the day thought of him or even what people in times to come, people like us today, would think. He trusted Christ that he would be faithful to bear fruit and advance the kingdom if only he would be faithful and maintain obedience to the truth of the gospel (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

This impacted every area of his life so that Christ would be honored in each and every conversation, in each and every relationship, in each and every business venture, and in each and every message preached. No area of his life was exempted from needing to meet the Biblical criteria for true success.

Our hope should be that we can come to the end of our lives, whenever that may be, and look back as Paul did, with joy, hope, and exaltation because by faith we will have lived as holy sacrifices, having fought the good fight, having kept the faith, and having finished the race (2 Timothy 4:7).

We ought to want to hear our Savior say to us one day, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23). There is no clearer definition and affirmation of success than that.

Scripture Of The Day: "Now godliness with contentment is great gain" - 1 Timothy 6:6


Brenton M. Barnett is the founder of the free Bible teaching ministry, Relevant Bible Teaching, found on the web at http://www.relevantbibleteaching.com. He is also the author of Catch Fire: A Call to Spiritual Awakening. Brent’s greatest joys in life are his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Anneke.…

A Life Of Success

By Aqualyn Toi Jones


If I had the desire (or the patience) to count the number of books on success, I’m sure the number would reach well into the thousands (and possibly hundreds of thousands). Everyone claims to know the way to success.

There’s probably a “Success for Dummies” book. Not to mention the countless number of “steps” to success. I don’t mean to negate the value or validity of such tools. I just want to bring a different question into view.

Instead of asking, “How can I become successful?” maybe we should ask ourselves, “What does it mean for me to live a life of success?” Although the two questions may sound similar, they are not.

You and I can be successful in a number of things: education, career, or business ventures. But a life of victory and triumph (pretty good synonyms for success) cannot be measured solely by our mental, physical or tangible prosperity.

If we allow ourselves to be deceived, we’ll think that success is measure by material things. Becoming a homeowner, though notable, is not synonymous with success. Neither is buying a car, losing weight, purchasing a new wardrobe, or investing in the stock market. Those things are accomplishments and by-products of a successful soul.

Many people prosper financially. Many people prosper vocationally. Some are fortunate to prosper relationally. Yet, our souls are supposed to prosper as well (3 John 1:2). In this verse, John indicates that his prayer is for us to prosper in all things, just as our soul prospers. He believed that the prosperity of our souls is just as important as other things. And I believe that is the key ingredient to a life of success and not just moments of success.

It is also important for us to remember that failure is a part of the life of success. Times of weakness, pain, heartbreak, illness and sin (yes, even sin) are all things we will experience along the way. But these should be regarded as defining moments and not defeating moments.

It’s quite simple for us to create our own course and set goals for the next five, ten and fifteen years. With discipline we can succeed in anything we put our minds to. Let’s give an even greater amount of energy and determination to making sure our souls prosper.

As we become better individuals, better children, better spouses, better parents, and better leaders we will undoubtedly lead lives of success. It starts with the soul.


Scripture Of The Day: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." - 3 John 1:2



Toi Jones is a writer and an advocate for youth, underdogs, and all things (and people) that are broken and overlooked. Compassionate at her core, Toi is also an educator, a mentor, and a supporter of multiple initiatives for South Africa. For more information about Toi, log onto http://www.bewrite-livewrite.typepad.com.…