As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Our modern Promethean aspirations are not merely marked by Frankenstein’s desire to play God in the creation of life. We have taken on the role of God in the bringing of death as well.” - Carl Trueman
Google the phrase “What is success” and you will get 1.13 billion results. I’d like to examine each of those with you today (not really). Much has been said about success. Everybody seems to want it, but it is surprising how few actually can define it.
One dictionary defines success as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose, the attainment of popularity or profit, or a person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains prosperity.” But what should be the aim or purpose? And how do we define prosperity?
Some suggest success changes with age:
“Are the interests of our time dictating what is of greatest interest to us? If so, then surrender to God’s rule, not reinvention of our own, is the order of the day.” - Mere Orthodoxy
“Writing in his book, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, the late Dr. Tim Keller frames the larger purpose of our employment…. ‘if the purpose of work is to serve and exalt something beyond ourselves, then we actually have a better reason to deploy our talent, ambition, and entrepreneurial vigor.’” - Daily Citizen
“Admittedly, many Christians will insist joy (deep, serious, lasting) should be sharply distinguished from happiness (light, trivial, fleeting), but this is a relatively recent—and in my view unhelpful—distinction.” - TGC
“The word first appears in the first century BCE in Roman culture, with the Latin word religio. At the time, it meant ‘scruples,’ the concern that some activity is important enough to be performed carefully.” - Psychology Today
“Shouldn’t creativity and imagination thrive in the digital age? Anyone can be an artist, musician, or storyteller these days….But what’s the point? What ultimately limits a culture of limitless self-expression is meaninglessness.” - Breakpoint
“modern happiness studies demonstrate that wealth, success, power, and popularity are not predictors of happiness. People who choose gratitude and engage in respectful, others-centered relationships are happier than those who are self-focused and driven by feelings of entitlement.” - Randy Alcorn
“Each verse in Peggy Lee’s 1969 song describes a life event, such as going to the circus or falling in love….Each verse leads to the same chorus: Is that all there is?” - TGC
“We feel empty, inadequate, and adrift because we have been thrown back on ourselves, forced to face the challenge—at younger and younger ages—of trying to establish an identity, make commitments, live with conviction, desire life, and find meaning without the very sources that make these things possible in the first place.” - IFS
Discussion