1 Kings 2:40 (NKJV)
“So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath.”

The world is crazy about success, and today, even the Church of God has caught the bug for success and adjusted its theology to promote this new and wonderful ideology. Everything today is colored by and weighed on the scale of success and failure.

The real issue, however, is not the predominance of the success ideology. The real problem is in the definitions of what success and failure mean. If success were defined by a Biblical worldview, then there wouldn’t be a problem. But it usually isn’t.

Success has come to mean achieving goals, entering self-fulfillment, growth in personal and corporate assets, and rising above our contemporaries. Success, as defined by today’s worldview, is a stranger to our Biblical lifestyle, standards, and requirements.

Although mentioned in the Bible, the word “success” is often connected with living according to God’s expectations. For example, Joshua 1:8 says if we meditate on God’s Word and obey it, we will “have good success.” Success is living God’s way, not ours.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 teaches us that wisdom brings success, and this wisdom is compared to a sharp ax blade. A person with a sharp spiritual life is a person living by God’s wisdom, and such a person is the one who can enter success. The opposite is also true.

Not every so-called success is therefore God’s definition of success, and it’s possible to achieve your personal or corporate goals and still be considered a failure according to heaven’s standards. It takes divine wisdom to know what priorities to live by.

To achieve your objectives and not remain within God’s boundaries for your life will lead to death. Pursuing agendas not set by God sets you up for failure, even if you are celebrated as smart and strategic. What men think should never define your value.

People told Shimei, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” (verse 39). They basically challenged him to do something about getting back his runaway slaves, and he “arose and went to seek his slaves.” (verse 40). At the end, he was successful, but at what price?

He achieved his goal and got his slaves back, but lost his life because he had broken his oath never to leave Jerusalem. The people who had urged him to get his slaves remained alive, and even the slaves remained alive, but he was killed. Is that success?

Success must always be defined by God’s wisdom. Success must never be about pleasing people or achieving objectives. Success must always be about ensuring that we are living in the life of God and within His boundaries. Let God alone define your success.

@ChineduOranye
RestlessPilgrim.org