If someone told you that you only have 10 more years left to live, how would you spend your time? What would success look like? Would it be different if you had 80 more years to live? For most people, success looks like graduating college, getting a good job, finding someone to fall in love with, having a few kids, moving into a bigger house and buying a nicer car, buying fancier things for your house, retiring early, then moving to a tropical island to spend the rest of your life. Most people consider that a successful life.
Want to know something interesting about Jesus? He didn’t have any of those things. He had a decent job as a skilled workman, some believe he was a carpenter. He never married or had kids. He didn’t own a house or car. He didn’t live long enough to retire and relax. Jesus lived a hard life. He worked hard, built a small following, was rejected by His closest friends, and eventually killed in a horrific way.
By most people’s standards, that would not have been a very successful life. As a matter of fact, it would have been a failed life. And yet, Jesus is the most significant person to ever walk the earth. Success ultimately, isn’t about what the world thinks is successful. Our society wants us to operate in the status quo. From the time we are kids we are trained to think that success means one thing. But that’s not true. Success is living your life the way you were created to live.
A successful life is living for Jesus and giving your all to spread His kingdom everywhere you go! I have to tell you a secret…If you are a rich man or woman and you have a bunch of really cool stuff, you can’t take that stuff with you when you die. I know some people who work SOOOOO hard day in and day out just to make money and become rich. They are miserable their whole life, and then they get to enjoy a few years of happiness when they finally get rich. Then, like everyone else, they die. That to me is a wasted life. A life well lived is serving those around you and showing them the love of Jesus. If I die with no money at all, but have Jesus’ love in my heart, I think that is a success!
