Home
>
Spirituality
>
No Star-Studded Career

No Star-Studded Career

What is success? It probably means different things to different people. One person said, "Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease." Another person said, "Success is an outcome and a state of mind and being and a matter of choice." And still another concluded, "Success is your belief that you will achieve anything you desire." There seem to be a consensus that accepts the definition of success as, "The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted."

It is important for Christians to understand that success as understood in the usual secular sense of the word is not promised in the kingdom of God. God never promised anybody a star-studded career. He never promised achievement in the worldly understanding of the word. In fact, God promises the exact opposite.

What God reveals in His word is for every Christian to expect opposition, disappointments, hard obstacles, setbacks and even satanic assault. Even God's own Son was not exempt from the flames and arrows of hardships for He was "wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities." Scripture makes it clear that God's concept of success has to do with suffering for the sake of the kingdom; faithfulness in the fight against the powers of corruption, enduring the race to the end.

Success in the spiritual sense includes a cross in the equation. Paul called it rejoicing in tribulations. He said, "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. If you want to check my credentials; if you want to verify my certification do not look at the degrees hanging on my wall ? but look at my scars; look at my bruises, look at the wounds on my body for Christ's sake."

You see success is radically different in the kingdom of God because as His employees we are not responsible for the outcome of our labor. We are not in management; we are in a kind of sales position. We are required to make contact and presentation. That is the end of it. We are not responsible for the results of our presention. We are essentially sowers. We are called to plant seeds, tell the story and then leave the rest to God. Paul said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."

What this means is that we are not graded according to what the world calls accomplishment. Success is not predicated on receptivity; on how well something is received or how well we are able to produce.

The question may rightly be asked, by what criteria do our Lord evaluate our performance? If it has nothing to do with accomplishment, then what is God's mode of measurement? Well, I believe God's answer would be that we satisfy and please Him only to the extent that we plant the seeds in people's lives by telling the truth about Him and the human predicament and remaining faithful to that function.

God did not call us to be successful; He called us to be faithful. Honor the assignment God gave you. Spread the word, keep the faith, carry your cross, tell the story wherever you go.

Our Christian goal is not a degree; it is not certification. It is a crown that will replace our cross.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon.

You are welcome to visit amen ministries: your soul's service station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library.

Blessings to all!

best cleaning company Highland Park ..

In The News:

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

No Star-Studded Career

Spirituality