072 – How Did Jesus Define Success?

072 – According to the world's standards, Jesus was not a success.

He left a good career as a carpenter to become an itinerant preacher. He did not have an important job, big salary, or fancy house. He did not find favor with the religious authorities. A lot of people followed him for a while, but when he was executed like a common criminal, almost of them deserted him.

But from another perspective, Jesus was the most successful person to ever walk on this planet.

He did what no one else could do. He told people about the kingdom of heaven. He healed the sick, raised the dead. He showed us the way of salvation. He was the way of salvation.

What was Jesus's definition of success?

Jesus had a definition of success for himself: to do the will of the Father and to bear witness to the truth. This he did.

In this episode, I explore what Jesus considered to be a successful life for his followers. It's about obedience to God and putting into practice the things Jesus taught us.

The world has many definitions of success: lots of money, a great job, a fancy car, an expensive house, popularity and fame. The list goes on.

But all these concepts of success are based on things that are temporary. If you are rich, you can lose your money. If you have a great job, you might get fired. If you have a fancy car or an expensive house, they could be stolen or destroyed. You get the picture.

The kind of success Jesus talked about was much more substantial because it was spiritual. Spiritual success is not about how many things you have but how much love you express, how much humility and obedience to God are in your life.

True success is discerning, and accomplishing the specific purpose God has for you.

My prayer for you is that you discover God's specific call on your life. If you don't know what that might be, I suggest you listen to a previous episode, How to Discover Your Spiritual Purpose in Life (episode 19).

To study all the Bible references in this week's episode, check out the show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/072

If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Contact me here.

Have a great week.

Blessings,
James

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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life.

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