FCA ResourcesDevotional
Success Through the Lens of God
Ready
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” –John 15:5
Set
The world has its idea of success: Be the best. Be you. Be bold. Acquire more. Make it to the top.
According to God, His idea of success looks different. To God, success is staying in step with Christ and connecting with Him. Success is living out each day loving Him, loving others and resting in our identities as sons and daughters of the King. Success is taking a hurt to Him instead of snapping a quick response when someone offends us. Giving a tired worker at the store a warm smile and word of encouragement. Getting up an hour earlier to ensure we have enough time to listen and talk with God.
What motivates us for this success? Looking to God and seeing His delight in us.
Sometimes, the extra commitment wears on us, and it takes a while to get used to new habits. But God knows what we need, when we need it, and the exact steps, connections and growth to set us up for success in Him.
Staying connected to the source of our peace, joy, love, hope and goodness is true success. Jesus is after our hearts, embedded in genuine relationship.
God looks beyond our current situations and sees the bigger picture. And His goal is for us to stay close to Him and become more like Jesus. When we stay connected, success begins to look like the fruit that’s produced in our lives.
When we grow in Christ, our hearts look more like His. The things that once concerned us, like the drive for success in our performance or what other people say about us, becomes less important. In its place is the heart of God, our eyes aligning to see what He sees. We begin to pray for the teammate who is struggling to find his or her place, or we share a word of encouragement with a young coach navigating the new world of coaching at a university.
There is no greater win than opening your heart to the love and rule of Jesus.
There is no greater win than sharing the gift of salvation with those around you, letting them know how loved they are by a good and faithful God.
Stay in step with Jesus and you’ll have all the success that truly matters.
Go
● What has success looked like to you? What does God say about this?
● How can you stay connected to the peace and joy of Christ as you go about your day?
● Who needs the grace of God’s truth today? Share a word of encouragement to someone who is having a hard day.
Overtime
“Father God, thank You that Your idea of success looks different from mine. Thank You that You desire for me to be in a genuine relationship with You, and to have the peace of Christ rule in my heart. Help me to see the people around me who are struggling or having a hard day and give them an encouraging word so they may see You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Group