Charles Pogue
How important is success in this life to you? I’m not going to say it isn’t important at all, but I would say it is far too important for too many people. Spiritual things are much more important than the things of this world. John warns us to not love the world nor the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).
Success in this world is not worth the kingdom of God. Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God, then the things we need will be added unto us (Matt. 6:33). God’s Word is the law of that kingdom, so it is plain the one who meditates on how to garner success in this world, but does not meditate upon the Word of God (Psalm 119:97), places to much value on worldly success.
Worldly success is not worth destroying your example and influence with others. In Matthew 7, Jesus instructs us to let our lights shine, that others may glorify God (Matt. 5:16). Some people will think like the world, cheat like the world, compromise with the world and its way of thinking in order to achieve worldly success. That person is not only putting his own soul in jeopardy, he is being an example of darkness rather than light to those with whom he has contact.
Worldly success is not worth losing one’s soul over. One of the most quoted verses in the Bible, and rightly so, is Matthew 16: 26. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The questions are not those which require mulling over, discussing, and considering for a lifetime. They are rhetorical questions to answer immediately. It profits nothing to gain the world and lose the soul, nothing is worth accumulating while forfeiting the soul.
When we answer the question according to the Bible, what is worldly success worth? Sorry my friend, the answer is, not much.
