What is success?
making lots of money, being rich and famous - whether it's from brains, beauty, or fluke? being a great leader that everyone honours and looks up to? winning the Nobel Prize? making a difference in humankind? Being the perfect son/daughter, doing well in school, going to University/Professional school, having a good career that assures financial stability, getting married and having a good family in which the cycle begins where you have the perfect children who do well in school, go to University, have a good career, get married and have your grandchildren, and are around with you to take care of you and again the cycle continues...
All these things are landmarks or items of success that the world views as good and right, almost as 'the way it should be', but is it?

Yesterday, in small groups for fellowship we talked about what it means to have a 'successful life'. Success defined in a worldy view may be quite different from what success means from a Christian perspective. After a few rounds of combining our more individual thoughts on what success means, our small group collectively defined SUCCESS as:

"The journey of achieving one's dreams and making a difference while following God's plan"

(Before this final definition, we started of with "The journey of overcoming obstacles and achieving a desired result", then it became "The joyful journey of experiencing and knowing that you're living God's perfect plan").

According to the Apostle Paul, success is found through Christ...what once was for profit is now considered loss, all things lost and surrendered for the glory in knowing Christ is what is gained.

All I once held dear, built my life upon,
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now compared to this.
CHORUS:
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord.

Knowing You - Graham Kendrick