Success

We live in a land that likes success. We go to a college graduation and more than likely there will be someone who has graduated from that college that has been very successful. They will never parade any to the platform that have been unsuccessful although there are more that have been unsuccessful than successful according to their rules. I knew a young man who was a straight A student. He graduated at the top of his class with honors and knew his stuff backwards and forwards. I would say he was very successful but the truth of the matter was there were those who used him and moved up themselves. Many are very successful but live their life as one that has been defeated. When I think on these lines I am reminded of a man that was very successful, but success wasn't his goal. We know him as the Apostle Paul. He wrote more books in the New Testament than anyone else but his goal was never success. He didn't write about success he wrote about something altogether different;

1Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. Notice it didn't say successful but faithful (trustworthy)

2Timothy 4:7
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: As the Apostle Paul comes to the close of his life he takes time to write young Timothy, his son in the faith. What are the last words of encouragement he gives him? Were they about the good fight he had fought or the course that he had finished? No, but they were words of being faithful! I have known those that have doubled their Sunday School Class, Pastors who have more than doubled those that attend their Church. Those who pastored 6000 plus members and from a worlds view we would say they were successful. Let me share with you what a preacher told me back in 1974; I have not forgotten what he said. He told me "we look at those with larger Churches and we call them successful, and successful they may be. But many will be surprised when we stand before Christ when he moves those we thought were the cream of the crop for that country preacher that never had more than 30 people in attendance at any given time." We say he wasn't very successful, no but in the eyes of God he was Faithful

Matthew 25:21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. I'll be honest with you I'll take the being faithful over being successful any day; how about you?