WHAT SUCCESS IS NOT Pt.3

IT IS NOT POSITIONAL POWER

While in the seminary, I heard the story of two pastors vying for an office in their denomination. The tussle degenerated into bitter fight between the duo.

Unfortunately, one of them lost four of his children the same day. When the hierarchy of the church heard what happened, they decided not to give either of them that office. There's no smoke without fire. Isn't that strange?

Another erroneous perspective some have about success is 'power'. They believe being powerful or attaining to a powerful position is the height of success. The tussle for power is real.

Those whose definition of success is tied to power will do all that is within their reach to attain to position of power. This is the reason behind bitter politics around the globe today.

Unfortunately, this inordinate desire to attain a powerful position exist among God's children and has brought a hellish dimension of politicking, power tussle into the body of Christ. This is sad to say but it is real.

We need to learn from Jesus. He was a focused man. His eyes was on the goal and the purpose for which he came not on titles. Even though he occupied all the five fold offices, he led a simple life. No special regalia like the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When the Jews wanted to make him a king by force, he avoided it. JOHN 6:15 says, "Then Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone".

With the influence Jesus had, he could have decided to contest for emperorship. The Jews would be glad to have their own as the ruler of the Roman empire after years of colonialism.

However, the concern of Jesus was on doing the will of the father: "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the WILL of him that sent me, and to finish his work"(John4:34). Positional power meant nothing to Jesus. He was a man of purpose.

If he hasn't fulfilled his purpose of salvation for man's redemption, heaven will adjudge him a failure even if he was an emperor or king.

The moment people start seeking positional power wrongly, they abandon their assignment in life. That's the beginning of failure.

Tied to the lust for power is the pride of life. In 1John2:15-17, John said,"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER".

Being in God's will has always been God's definition of success. Any other pursuit outside the will of God for our lives is the wrong pursuit regardless of achievements.

That is why Paul said in Eph5:17, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is". There's a generic will of God written for us in scriptures and there's a specific will of God that has to be revealed to us by the Spirit of God. In both, we must please God.

For instance, If it is God's will for a man to do ministry in a village among an unreached tribe but he decides to pitch his tent in a city where he built big auditorium with large membership. Regardless of his prominence and how the media celebrate him, in God's score card, he is unsuccessful.

Pitiably, we celebrate so many unsuccessful men today and look down on those ones heaven has given a pass mark. Who is a successful man or woman according to God's standard? The man at the centre of God's will.