WHAT SUCCESS IS NOT Part 1.

IT IS NOT WEALTH

Sometime ago, I linked up with a teenager whom I knew when he was a young boy in primary school. He started a conversation with me on facebook.

I asked to know how he was faring. I began preaching the gospel to him. During our conversation, I noticed he stressed so much on making money. This young teenager was obsessed with how to make money.

I asked If he has children and wife he was responsible for. He told me he had none since he was still in S.S.S.3. When I heard that, I told him he doesn't need money because his parents should take care of him. He said I can't understand.

I knew he had been exposed to wrong people who fanned the embers of greed into flames in him. He wanted to keep up with the Joneses and be seen as a big boy. Later, it occurred to me that his definition of success in life is having plenty money.

Your definition of success will determine your pursuit.

What people pursue after daily is strongly connected to their definition of success. The man who sees success as having plenty money will never stop chasing after making money at all cost not minding how. The man who sees success as having power will stop at nothing to get power even If he has to kill to get it.

How God sees success is totally different from how we see it from the human standpoint. The culture of the world tend to give recognition to men and women who have made money. We put them in a class and even come up with rankings. That's why Forbes list exist.

Unfortunately, some preachers are driven by wealth not souls. They pursue wealth and preach the gospel of materialism. For people in this category, success in ministry is having plenty money, crowd and building the biggest cathedral.

Jesus redefined success for us in Luke 12:15 saying, "...“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own", NLT. This is plain and simple to understand.

As far as God is concerned, your wealth and abundance is not his parameter for measuring success. Far from it. People kill, defraud and lie to make money just because all they see as being successful is to be rich.

Until you see success through God's eyes and get what it truly mean from God's perspective, your pursuit would be wrong.

Apostle Paul warned us: For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness(1 Timothy 6:10-11 NLT).