When is a person really successful?  Is it when he gets a certain amount of money, possessions, or power?  Of those who take their own lives, many are considered quite successful by these standards.  True success is something more than those above mentioned things, it is living “the good life.”  The good life is a multi-faceted life, where you have what you need and want, you live in contentment, and you are able to continually reach toward new and higher goals in your life.

The question the the people of the world are asking is, “How is this good life acquired?”  We who are Christians, and have a working knowledge of God’s word, would answer quickly and conclusively that it begins with a right relationship with God, through faith in Christ.  It is no big deal for God to get money to you!  He owns it all.  He loves His children and delights in blessing them, but He will not bless them to their own hurt.   Just as a wise parent would not allow a child to enjoy a diet consisting of only candy bars, cake, ice cream, and soft drinks, God will look out for His children’s well-being, even if it means saying, “No,” to things that will hurt us.  In a right relationship with God, the Christian learns to know the will of God for His life, and to love and trust God to the point that he actually wants the things that God wants for Him.   When one of God’s children positions himself in this way, God can entrust with more material things, because he will then use them for God’s glory and his own good.

True success is the good life that is found in Christ.