Print This Article     Email This Article to a Friend       True Success (Accept no substitutes)   Recently, the car in front of me carried a sticker with an interesting statement. It read, "He who dies with the most toys wins." On the surface, that statement seems to be little more than a humorous expression of good-old American ambition. But in truth, it epitomizes the way many of us think about success in life. Is "dying with the most toys," really what winning in life is all about? Can a person's level of success in life be measured with nothing more than a statement of net worth? And how does God, our Creator view success? Is He opposed to you having material success? When I saw that bumper sticker I thought of the question Jesus asked some people one day. He said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" Now, I want to make something clear. There's nothing wrong with wanting to prosper. God's not against you providing a high standard of living for your family. But if all you ever do is amass material wealth, you've failed in God's eyes. He wants more for you. He wants you to win in your marriage. He wants you to win in raising your children. He wants you win in every area of life. You can be materially wealthy and poor in every other area of your life. Winning in life means more than accumulating wealth or influence. It is said that, on his deathbed, Louie B. Mayer, the powerful chief of MGM studios, whispered, "nothing matters," and died. Here was a man with more money and influence than most of us can even imagine. But as he faced the reality of his own death, he realized, too late, that there was more to life. Yes, God wants you to have material success, but He also wants you to prosper in your relationships. He wants you to prosper spiritually, emotionally and at every level of your existence. Don't wait until the end of life to discover that important truth. Of course this truth shouldn't be distorted to justify a lazy, lackadaisical approach to life. The apostle Paul never heard the saying, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." Paul believed in playing to win. Six different times in the Bible, Paul refers to life as a race and encourages us to run it God's way and to run it to win. In 1st Corinthians 9:24, Paul asks, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." But what does it mean to win in life. It means prospering in your relationships. Prospering physically, emotionally and spiritually. But most of all, winning in life means discovering God's unique plan for your life and living out all its wonderful implications. Life is a race. Run to win and you'll experience true success. Accept nothing less!
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