Being Faithful

What is your definition of success?
Good question isn't it?
It sure is easy to use the world's measuring stick.
How much money you make.
How many people know your name.
That's a big one for many of us.
You've got "juice" with the "in crowd".
The movers and shakers in your industry maybe.
Your neighborhood.
Even your church.

The more I think about this whole thing, the more I realize it's much simpler than that for the follower of Christ.
And much more challenging too.

My greatest desire is to be faithful.
Faithful to Jesus who died on the cross for my sins.
Faithful in the work He's given me to do.
On the good days.
On the bad days.
On the in-between days.

But there's always a price.
Being misunderstood is no fun.
Especially by those closest to you.

A life change can be scary too, even if God is in it.
Maybe we'll be asked to give up something.
Something good to embrace something better.

If that's where you are today, let me share a scripture that always helps me.
I read it again today.
I need to read it every day.
Jesus said....

(Matthew 10:39) (ESV) "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "

By letting go of my own agenda and desires and embracing the work Jesus has for me to do, I find true joy.
Even on the bad days.
Because it's worth it to be faithful to the work of today.
Imperfectly, yes.
But desiring to be more faithful today than I was yesterday.
Being forgiven when I fail.
God's applause with every attempt.
That's success.
Full commitment is letting go of something with both hands and grabbing onto something else.
May that something else be a someone else.
Jesus.