Faithfulness, not success

We live in a world in which your worth is based on what you achieve and accomplish. It seems that one’s value is based on one’s level of success. Tragically, this thinking has seeped into the church.

And yet, this thinking goes completely against the teaching of the Bible. God doesn’t emphasize success, but rather faithfulness (see Psalm 31:23; 101:6; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:21; Luke 16:10; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Revelation 17:14). In fact, it seems as though He could care less about my achievements, especially if they are not marked with complete obedience and submission to His will.

We don’t serve an overbearing God who demands our complete and utter success. Instead, He’s more interested in our faithfulness in the process. Instead of being discouraged by the outcome, let’s keep our eyes on the plow.

Even in ministry work, it’s a continual temptation to evaluate my success and worth based on what I do. The truth is, God will never be impressed by me. I recently heard someone say that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me less. That’s encouraging.

Ironically, this actually motivates me to want to do more, to press ahead, and do great things for God. That’s a good thing to desire, with a great motivation. Scripture reminds us that we are to be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). God wants me to be diligent; He’s going to take care of the results.

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