What if everything you’ve been taught about success has led you to pursue the wrong things? Biblical wisdom begins with a different definition of success—and it changes how we live.
Two Funerals. Two Very Different Lives.
Imagine attending two funerals.
The first is for a man everyone would consider successful. He built a thriving business, accumulated considerable wealth, and became someone people admired. His accomplishments earned him invitations to speak, opportunities to influence others, and recognition most people only dream about.
At his funeral, speaker after speaker describes his achievements, influence, and the remarkable life he built.
A week later, you attend another funeral.
This time, it’s for a retired schoolteacher from a small town. She never owned a company, became famous, or accumulated much wealth. Her name wouldn’t be recognized beyond the community where she lived.
But something remarkable happens at her funeral.
One after another, people stand to tell stories about how she encouraged them, prayed for them, invested in their lives, and helped shape the people they became.
One built an empire. The other built people.
Which person was more successful?
It’s tempting to start weighing their accomplishments against one another. But before we can answer that question, we have to ask another:
How are we defining success in the first place?
That’s a question our culture rarely encourages us to consider.
The Problem with How We Define Success
Most of us inherit a definition of success long before we’re old enough to question it.
Success means getting ahead. Climbing the ladder. Building a reputation. Accumulating wealth. Becoming influential. Earning recognition. Leaving something behind that people will remember.
None of those things is inherently wrong.
The problem is that they make terrible foundations for a successful life.
Why? Because every one of them depends on something that can disappear.
Money can disappear. Health can deteriorate. Influence can fade. Reputations can be damaged. Even the applause we work so hard to earn eventually grows quiet.
When our definition of success depends on circumstances we cannot control, our sense of peace and purpose becomes just as unpredictable.
I suspect that’s one reason so many people feel exhausted.
They’re not simply working hard. They’re trying to prove they’re successful according to a definition that keeps changing.
The finish line keeps moving.
Reach one goal, and another appears. Accomplish something significant, and someone else accomplishes something bigger. Earn recognition, and suddenly you’re concerned about maintaining it.
It’s a cycle of comparison, achievement, and dissatisfaction that can leave us perpetually chasing something we never quite catch.
And here’s what troubles me most: We can spend an entire lifetime becoming successful without ever stopping to ask whether we’re succeeding at the right things.
Fortunately, biblical wisdom offers us a different starting point.
1. Success Begins with God’s Glory, Not Our Accomplishments
When the Bible addresses how we should live, it doesn’t begin with personal ambition, recognition, or achievement.
It begins with God.
That might sound obvious, but consider what it means.
If God is the Creator and Author of life, then He alone has the authority to define what a successful life should look like.
We don’t get to establish the standard independently of Him and then ask Him to bless our pursuit of it.
The apostle Paul writes:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
Notice how ordinary Paul’s examples are.
Eating. Drinking. Whatever we do.
Paul isn’t describing extraordinary achievements or accomplishments reserved for a select few. He’s describing everyday life.
The implication is profound.
Success isn’t reserved for extraordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things. It’s available to ordinary people who faithfully live for the glory of an extraordinary God.
That includes the parent raising children, the employee quietly doing excellent work, the neighbor caring for someone in need, and the retiree investing in the lives of others.
Their circumstances may be different, but their opportunity to honor God is the same.
John Piper captures this beautifully in a statement that has shaped much of his teaching:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”
His point reminds us that our deepest satisfaction isn’t ultimately found in what we accomplish for ourselves. It’s found in knowing, treasuring, and glorifying God.
This changes the question we ask about success.
Instead of asking, “How can I become more successful?” we begin asking, “How can God be honored through the life He’s given me?”
Those questions lead to very different priorities.
One places us at the center of our story.
The other recognizes that we’re part of God’s story.
And that distinction changes everything.
2. Success Is Measured by Faithfulness, Not Applause
There’s another important dimension to biblical success that we discover in the life of Joshua.
Following Moses’ death, Joshua faced the enormous responsibility of leading Israel into the Promised Land.
Imagine the pressure.
He was following one of the most significant leaders in Israel’s history. An entire nation was looking to him for direction. There were enemies to confront, battles to fight, and difficult decisions ahead.
If anyone needed to succeed, Joshua did.
But notice what God emphasized.
He didn’t tell Joshua to become impressive, build his reputation, or establish himself as a great leader.
Instead, God instructed him to remain grounded in His Word:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” — Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
Notice what comes before success.
Not ambition. Not influence. Not recognition.
Obedience.
God connected Joshua’s success to knowing His Word and faithfully doing what it commanded.
Of course, this promise was given to Joshua in a particular historical context. It wasn’t intended as a universal guarantee that everyone who obeys God will become wealthy, influential, or outwardly prosperous.
In fact, Scripture repeatedly shows us faithful people who experienced hardship, rejection, suffering, and loss.
But the principle remains significant.
A life that honors God is built on faithfulness to His Word rather than dependence on the world’s approval.
And there’s something remarkably freeing about that.
If success depends on applause, we’ll always need more applause.
If success depends on outperforming others, we’ll constantly be comparing ourselves.
If success depends entirely on results, we’ll live with the persistent fear of failure.
But when success is understood in terms of faithfulness to God, something changes.
We can live successfully today.
Right where we are.
Whether anyone notices or not.
That doesn’t mean our work, goals, or achievements are unimportant. It means they no longer have the authority to determine our worth or define the success of our lives.
3. Success Requires Obedience, Not Control of Outcomes
Here’s where our understanding of success becomes more challenging.
Even when we faithfully obey God, things don’t always turn out the way we hoped.
Sometimes doing the right thing costs us something.
Sometimes we make wise decisions and still experience disappointment.
Sometimes obedience leads through difficulty rather than around it.
That’s why I’ve always appreciated a simple principle frequently emphasized by Charles Stanley:
“Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.”
It’s a short statement with enormous implications.
Our responsibility is to obey God.
The ultimate outcome belongs to Him.
Think about how much of our anxiety comes from confusing those responsibilities.
We can make wise choices, but we can’t control every result.
We can treat others with integrity, but we can’t determine how they’ll respond.
We can faithfully pursue the responsibilities God has given us, but we can’t dictate when or how He will produce the fruit.
And yet, how often do we carry the weight of outcomes as though everything depends on us?
Consider a farmer.
He prepares the soil, plants the seed, removes the weeds, and waters the field. He works diligently because he understands his responsibility.
But there’s one thing he cannot do.
He cannot make the seed grow.
Growth depends on realities beyond his control.
The apostle Paul uses a similar picture when describing the work of ministry:
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV)
Paul wasn’t dismissing the importance of human effort. Both planting and watering mattered.
But neither Paul nor Apollos could produce spiritual growth on their own.
That belonged to God.
There’s wisdom here that extends into many areas of life.
We are responsible for faithful effort, wise stewardship, and obedient action. But we were never intended to carry the burden of controlling every outcome.
The distinction isn’t between working hard and doing nothing.
It’s between faithfully doing what God has entrusted to us and trying to control what belongs to Him.
When we confuse those responsibilities, anxiety often replaces peace.
When we understand them correctly, we’re free to work diligently while trusting God with the results.
4. The Right Definition Changes the Life We Pursue
Let’s return to those two funerals.
Was the businessman unsuccessful simply because he accumulated wealth and influence?
Of course not.
Was the schoolteacher successful simply because she lived quietly and invested in others?
Not necessarily.
The distinction isn’t between wealth and poverty, recognition and obscurity, or professional achievement and personal relationships.
Those are outward circumstances.
The deeper question is whether each person lived faithfully according to God’s purposes.
A successful business leader can glorify God through wise stewardship, integrity, generosity, and the way he treats people.
A schoolteacher can glorify God through faithful service, patient instruction, and the investment she makes in the lives entrusted to her.
Likewise, either person could pursue selfish ambitions while appearing successful to others.
That’s precisely why we need a better definition of success.
Biblical success isn’t determined by how much we accomplish, but by whether our lives are faithfully directed toward the purposes of God.
And when we begin with that understanding, our priorities start to change.
Instead of obsessing over whether we’re getting ahead, we become concerned with whether we’re walking faithfully.
Instead of working primarily to make our names known, we seek to honor God’s name.
Instead of measuring our lives exclusively by what we’ve achieved, we begin examining who we’re becoming.
Instead of allowing comparison to dictate our satisfaction, we learn to evaluate our lives according to God’s wisdom.
This doesn’t eliminate ambition. It gives ambition its proper place.
It doesn’t mean goals are unnecessary. It means our goals must serve something greater than personal recognition.
It doesn’t diminish the value of achievement. It places achievement within the larger purpose of glorifying God.
We still pursue excellence. We still work diligently. We still make plans and take responsibility.
But we do those things with a different understanding of what makes a life successful.
What If You’ve Been Pursuing the Wrong Definition?
Maybe you’ve been measuring your life by promotions, income, recognition, or professional accomplishments.
Maybe you’ve allowed comparison to shape your expectations.
Maybe you’ve been seeking approval from people whose opinions have carried more weight in your life than they should.
Or perhaps you’ve done everything you believed you were supposed to do, only to discover that achieving your goals hasn’t brought the satisfaction you expected.
If any of that sounds familiar, perhaps it’s time to reconsider the assumptions you’ve been living by.
Because there’s a significant difference between a life that looks successful and a life that actually is successful.
One can be driven by comparison.
The other can be guided by wisdom.
One constantly asks, “Am I getting ahead?”
The other asks, “Am I being faithful?”
One depends on changing circumstances.
The other is anchored in the unchanging character and purposes of God.
Ultimately, getting success right isn’t about discovering a better strategy for accomplishing everything we want.
It’s about allowing God to redefine what we should want in the first place.
And that may be one of the most important expressions of biblical wisdom we can pursue.
Success isn’t found by chasing what the world applauds. It’s found by living wisely according to the purposes of the God who created us.
The Wisdom Question
Who has been defining success in my life?
I encourage you to give that question some serious thought.
Not the answer you know you’re supposed to give.
The honest answer.
Consider the decisions you’ve made recently, the goals you’ve been pursuing, and the things that have occupied your thoughts.
What do they reveal about your definition of success?
To help you think through that question, here are three additional reflections:
- See Wisely: What measures of success have I adopted from the world without examining them against God’s Word?
- Become Wise: Where have I been more concerned about achieving a particular outcome than faithfully obeying God?
- Live Wisely: What’s one decision I can make this week that places God’s glory above personal recognition or achievement?
Don’t rush past these questions. Sometimes the most important changes in our lives begin when we’re willing to question assumptions we’ve held for years.
Continue Exploring: Get Success Right
This article is the first in the six-part Get Success Right series, where we explore what Scripture teaches about success and how biblical wisdom can reshape our priorities, decisions, and ambitions.
I’ve also created a free Get Success Right Reflection Guide that brings together the six principles from the series, supporting Scripture, practical applications, and questions to help you evaluate what success really means in your own life.
And if you’d like to explore the bigger question of what it means to live the right life, consider my book, Get Life Right: Why Your Best Life Isn’t the Right Life.
Because the goal isn’t simply to become better at succeeding.
It’s to make sure we’re succeeding at what matters most.