Success

The American dream, a house, job, nice car, leisure time, leisure money, an easy life. Most of these things come to mind when success is brought up. The wisest man to live, Solomon, oddly calls all of this "vanity of vanities." Solomon says that man's search for meaning in work, material goods, pleasure, family, and success is all good for nothing. All of these things fail to fill the inner emptiness we all have, otherwise the suicide rate would drop significantly. All of us have these things to some degree.

Why then do we still find in our society many who complain about having little or nothing? Why then do we in America seem to be especially unhappy? Why are we never satisfied? The answer lies within us. We can have all these things, yet the one thing which truly satisfies our soul is a relationship. Outside of God and a relationship with Him our possessions mean nothing.

I want to go a step further. To truly be successful, I believe that a person must pour out their life. Like a drink offering in the old testament, when we pour out our life into another we offer ourselves as a drink offering to God. The only thing that is eternal is our relationships. When we pour out our life in service to God and another, we leave behind here on earth a lasting legacy and take with us an eternal reward and gift.

Here is the greatest part of it all. When we pour out what God has given to us, He pours in more. Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows." If we are in a close relationship with God, we never give of our self (which is good because we have nothing to give), we give of the overflow He provides. And if you are living close to God, you do not have to even try, it just happens. Jesus said that "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." The word for fill means to have a surplus, a superabundance, in other words the overflow of your heart.

I implore all of us who are Christians, live close to Christ. Be intentional in getting involved in the lives of others, and let Christ work in them through you from the overflow of God in your heart. Then you will know what success is.