What is Success?

What do you value most in life? Would it be your career? Money? Family? If you were to create a road map for success, what waypoints would you place along the way, and what would be the end goal? I would guess that most waypoints would be college, career, family, homeownership, some sort of investments, and the end goal would be retirement or something along those lines. This is typically what the American Dream has been, right? It’s what I grew up hearing and believing from my parents, and, sadly, this is how society determines if you’re successful or not. This is validated by how poorer classes are treated as compared to the richer classes. Poorer people are generally looked down upon in society, while most everyone looks up to and idolizes the rich. When we look to the Bible, however, what we should value most and how we are deemed successful is quite different. Whereas we think gaining all these worldly goods makes us successful, the Biblical view of success is actually giving it all away.

Throughout the gospels, we find numerous accounts where Christ teaches against worldly riches, but these two parables really strike a chord with me:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (v. 44)

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (v. 45-46)

The meaning behind these parables is quite different from our modern understanding of success. We spend our entire lives trying to be successful by obtaining wealth, climbing the corporate ladder, making wise investments, etc., but, in these parables, they joyfully “sell all [they] have” to obtain the kingdom of heaven. To these people, the kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else in the world. Can we say the same for ourselves? Are we willing to give up everything to obtain the kingdom of heaven or would we be more comparable to the young man in Matthew 19?

The young man said to Him, ‘All these [commandments] I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (v. 20-22)

This young man had kept all the commandments, yet he knew there was something still missing: “What do I still lack?” His connection to his worldly possessions was the issue. When Christ told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor, he just couldn’t do it. His possessions were more important to him than following Christ, so he went away sorrowful. This occurrence goes hand in hand with Christ’s teaching during the Sermon on the Mount:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

This young man’s heart was dedicated to his worldly possessions, and, as such, Christ couldn’t be his treasure. How many of us today are devoted to earthly treasures just as the young man? Where are our hearts, and what is truly our treasure? We may think we serve Christ, but have we given up everything and followed Him as He told the young man to do?

From what I see, we seem to be more concerned with building treasures on earth as opposed to treasures in heaven. We spend most of our lives chasing after earthly dreams and leave such a small amount of time for God. Fellow Christians, this isn’t how it should be. We need to be like those seeking treasure who are willing to give up everything in order to obtain that one, special treasure, the kingdom of heaven. Sadly, we aren’t willing to give up anything because we are selfishly chasing after our own desires and pleasures.

Instead of worrying about ourselves all the time, we should spend more time worrying about others. The world we live in is broken and hurting. As Christians, it is our calling to be a light to the world and provide for those in need in whatever way we can. This is how we build treasure in heaven and how we can save our souls. When the time comes and you’re standing before Christ at judgement, which would you rather hear:

Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. (Matthew 25:34-36)

Or:

Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. (Matthew 25:41-43)

I would much rather be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven than sent into the everlasting fire. I guess what it all comes down to is this one question: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26) Are you willing to give up your soul to chase after what this world considers success, or would you rather be successful by Biblical standards? The choice is yours.