Sweet Success

How do we measure success? Success is defined in many different ways and largely depends on the circumstances in which you find yourself. I often described success when teaching by seeing my students increase their knowledge. My husband considers a service call a success if he has fixed the customer’s problem and doesn’t get called back for the same issue. A salesperson may determine they are successful when they can meet their quota, and a lawyer, if they win a case. 

But what about as a Christian? How do we…how should we measure success?

When the Israelites are just about ready to enter the promised land, God speaks to Joshua and tells him, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go (Joshua 1:7).” 

Obey the law? So… are we successful Christians if we don’t murder someone?

When Jesus was in Jerusalem early in His ministry, he shed light on this very thing. Various religious leaders began to question Him as He was teaching a crowd. A teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest; Jesus doesn’t pull from the Ten Commandments. He tells of two that sum up not only the ones written in stone but encompass all the various commandments God gave throughout history. “‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).’”

Is Jesus really telling us that all we need to be successful Christians is to love God and each other?  

I propose that it is. If we truly love God with all our heart, understanding, and strength and treat everyone else as we would want to be treated, then the rest will flow from that (Matthew 22:40). Genuine love in our hearts will draw other people to our presence, ministry, and community. Love will breed generosity, lead others closer to Christ, and make people feel welcome.

But what about obedience? The passage above from Joshua tells the Israelites to obey the law. 

Loving God and others is obedience. Jesus commands us to love. Not just in Mark 12, but during the Last Supper, Jesus tells His followers, “If you love me, keep my commands (John 14:15).” Then twice more in the same chapter, Jesus repeats the message (v. 21 and 23). When we love God, we will want to obey Him. Love will lead us to follow His will. Jesus also promises us during their meal that the Holy Trinity will love those who love Him and obey Him in return. God in 3 persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, will dwell within us and guide us (v. 15-21).

And when it comes to loving others, Scripture has more to say about that, as well. Jesus not only spoke of loving God in the hours before his arrest, but He also told His followers to love each other (John 13:34-35). In fact, He commands it, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12).” Jesus teaches us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27), forgive others (Matthew 6:14), and be merciful (Matthew 5:7). The writers of the New Testament also remind us numerous times to continue loving. Paul brings us back to connect Jesus’ command to love with those old stone tablets: 

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10).”

And I love the peace that 1 John 5:3 brings when summing it all up, “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”

Imagine a world where we define success by these two things: love God and love others. Love is the ambition of our home, business, and even our government. We don’t measure success with market share, membership, or material goods. We stop striving for power, profit, and prestige. Instead, love is the ultimate goal.

Sounds like sweet success to me.