He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. –
Philippians 2:7-8
What do we consider success? If we were to classify a successful person, what would be the earmarks? Power? Wealth? Popularity? Respect?Philippians 2:7-8
If that is our criteria for success, then apparently Jesus was a horrible failure. Was He popular? Not for long. The fickle multitudes sang His praises for a while, but they turned on Him a short time later. So in a sense, He was not popular. In fact, after one of His sermons, all of His followers deserted Him except for the twelve disciples.
Was He politically powerful?
No. He was a political failure. All levels of government first rejected Him and then conspired to kill Him. Did Jesus have lots of friends? Not really. He had a lot of fair-weather friends. He had a lot of people who claimed to be His friends, but when it came to the end, He had only a handful. Did He have money and possessions? Not really. He said, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58). He had one garment that we know of, for which the soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross.
Was Jesus respected by His peers?
If you consider the religious leaders His peers, then the answer would be no. They rejected His work. But despite His failure by these standards, Jesus Christ was the greatest success that anyone ever could have been. Why? Because He came with a purpose: to die for the sins of the world. And He accomplished that task.
You may not be a success or famous by the world’s standards. But if you discover and fulfil God’s purpose for your life, it doesn’t matter what others think, you are a success in the eyes of God.
Prayer:
Father, show me what you want me to accomplish to the glory of your name.Scriptural Reading:
Philippians 2:5-
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