Christian Living

The Good Part of Success

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
10/01/21
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“But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

All of us want to be successful in whatever our endeavors are. I don’t think any of us start down a path in life wanting to fail, even though some do. I like the saying “winners never quit, and quitters never win,” but I am not sure that is totally correct. There are many successes and failures every day. Some successes are not all that great, and some of the failures need more adjusting. Sometimes it is a matter of perspective in the view of the achiever. I want you to spend some moments pondering a quote I am introducing you to on being successful.

It is a quote from George MacDonald. Pastor MacDonald is a Scotsman born in 1824 and lived till 1905. He was an author, poet, and Christian minister. Pastore MacDonald was a pioneer in fantasy literature and a mentor to other authors as Lewis Carroll. Pastor. MacDonald wrote many fairy tales and great works of Christian theology. He also wrote a good collection of his sermons. (Wikipedia) They are worth a Google search of his name to find and read his commentary and sermons. The quote of George MacDonald that I find a treasure is this. “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.”

We hear some things from our parents and role models of our youth that are good but not necessarily true. One is, “If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.” Sometimes that is sold as the American Dream, which is not entirely wrong, as it catches a part of the American dream. Another is, “In America, anyone can grow up to be president.” I agree that we are all created equal, but what we do from that point on does not always qualify us to anything we want or become the nation’s leader. Another saying is this, “You can be the best in the world.” It is possible to achieve, but at some point in time, someone will overachieve you. So that goal is a never-ending struggle.

What I consider a definition of success is nowhere near others. The closest quote to match all other quotes is this. “Success is looking back at your life, when you are in your final moments, and possessing a great amount of pride around your creations, accomplishments, and legacy, while possessing little to no regret about what you did not do and missed opportunities (i.e. your family still loves you). If I can die feeling this way, I believe this is success.” (Seth Besmertnik, CEO of Conductor) Webster defines success as the degree or measure of succeeding or attaining wealth, favor, or eminence.

As some have told me, I am a narrow-minded person, but then I have a narrow path I travel on. The path I travel on has but one outcome, an eternal home in God’s Kingdom. I am not worried about a great legacy as I would not appreciate it, but I hope those I leave behind will. My legacy or anything I obtain in the world is nothing I can take with me, so all my investment is in the Kingdom of God. It there where if find to most dividends.

That being said, my view of worldly success is found in God’s Word. I think worldly success is rooted in three goals those who make investments for their short time in this realm. They are wealth and possessions, status, power, position, and the pursuit of sensual pleasure. Over-investment in this world is vanity, and I believe that God’s Word is true, and I trust His Word. “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11)

To those who find success in wealth and possession, I say you have done well and deserve to be commended. Wealth in the world is not a zero-sum game as the economy grows by wealth growth. The more wealth created in the world, the more it can be invested to generate more wealth. The trouble with wealth and possession is the greed of the possessor. There never is enough. Then there is the catch of keeping up with the Jones. A lot of us are covetous people. Some will work harder to achieve what others have, and then some will resort to dishonorable ways to take what they want. That is the Tenth Commandment, Exodus 20:17), and it causes all kinds of sinful behavior.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples about covetousness and a rich man boasting about all that he had, He said the following. The rich man had so much that he would tear down his barns and build bigger ones to hold all he had. It is obvious the rich man would never be satisfied and would always want more. How many have temporary storage facilities sprung up in your neighborhood to store the possessions people have gathered? All that will be left behind when the door of death opens, and they’re in the spirit world. God says to them who seek the wealth of the world are the very words Jesus spoke. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20–21)

To people of power and position, I have the greatest respect. They are people to be looked up to and have the capacity to be great role models. They deserve the status they have achieved. The ones who boast and feel they are elite, I pity. In (Luke 16:19-31) Jesus tells the story of “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” The rich man lived well in this life, while Lazarus was a poor beggar. When they died, the rich man went to Hades, and Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man like the Pharisees received his reward while here in the world, but Lazarus, a faithful man, received a better reward for His faith in God. As the rich man learned, his fate was not reversible now that he passed from this life.

People who have been lifted up or achieved status, power, and position do not serve themselves but are servants of the people beneath their position. The greatest man to ever live was Jesus. Even though He was God in the flesh, He lived in the likeness of man. He came not to be served but to serve His people. Jesus made this point when James and John’s mother came to ask Jesus to give them high positions in the Kingdom. It caused a problem with the other disciples, and Jesus addressed them with these words. “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25–28)

I think the pursuit of sensual pleasure is an addiction that Satan laughs at us over. I believe it is the biggest catch in our sinful nature. It is the hook that the temptations of Satan have placed in us. The first thing Adam and Eve did was cover their nakedness after falling to sin. One of my mates’ biggest conversations in High School was which girls were willing and not. It is a test with runaway hormones screaming to stay the course we know is right. Now that I have reached the other end, still, it doesn’t stop. The lust of the flesh is unending and won’t till I am free of it.

The Apostle John teaches us this truth. “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15–17) Paul makes the point even easier to understand. “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8) Marriage is an institution of God, the marriage of a man and a woman, and the marriage of His Church with Him.

I wish all well in successful living in this world, and I think if the perspective is right, God will honor that success. Even if we fail, if the perspective is right, God will also honor that failure. Either way, it should not be the most significant medal we wear upon our chest. In the end, success in this world brings little to the next if God is not the author of it. And for failures, Jeremiah preached God’s Word for forty years, and no one listened to Him. God blessed that failure as today, the words written by Jeremiah still preach today in God’s Word. The point is we can be content in either result of our pursuit. “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

My success is not the misery of successes and failures of the legacy left behind, but the glorious rewards of the dividend received the microsecond I arrive home in His Kingdom. I start each day as I end it being counseled by my Heavenly Father in the power of Jesus’ name. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, November 12, 2020