Measuring Success God's Way

 

Why Success is Difficult to Measure

Measuring a person’s success—or impact—is difficult, because we rarely agree on the parameters. One person is considered “effective” because of what he accomplished; another because of the influence he had on others. The Muppet Christmas Carol offers the charming advice: “If you want to know the measure of a man, you simply count his friends!” That delightful statement probably could use a bit of nuance—but I do like it.

When it comes to measuring success or failure by the Lord’s standard, the task is blessedly simple:

Are you faithful to Him?

That is the measure. It is simple—and it may not be the measure we prefer—but it is the only measure that ultimately matters.
(See 1 Corinthians 4:2; Matthew 25:21.)

The Kings: one repeated metric

This is the consistent principle throughout the History Books of the Old Testament. As the reader moves through the kings of Israel and Judah, the same measuring rod is applied again and again as the only meaningful metric. Little is said about financial policy, foreign trade, or even military leadership.

Rather, everything is traced back to one central question: Did they walk in the ways of David, or did they walk in the ways of the kings of Israel? (See 1 Kings 15:3; 2 Kings 18:3; 2 Kings 21:21–22.)

The cost of righteousness

Each king had varying degrees of success, and some were absolute failures. It would be fascinating to read the other histories from that period that were not divinely inspired—documents that may have captured the debates, discussions, and decisions of the day.

It must have been costly for any godly king of Judah to stand against the culture: people offering their children to the Baals, worshiping at the sex cults associated with Asherah poles and “high places.” Anyone opposing such practices would likely be labeled prudish, old-fashioned, regressive, and intolerant.

After all, the sinful heart likes to have places to hide and indulge—and undoubtedly many “fine, upstanding, God-fearing citizens” quietly slipped away to participate in pagan immorality now and again. They may have spoken publicly about national faithfulness to the Lord, while privately refusing to support the removal of their own preferred “sacred sites”—the spiritual equivalents of abortion factories and brothels tied to these pagan practices.
(See 2 Kings 17:16–17; Jeremiah 7:30–31; Romans 1:18–32.)

Partial reform and courageous reform

Some kings walked with the Lord and promoted true worship—yet failed to remove the Asherah poles and high places. Others showed genuine courage and made real progress against the wickedness of the evil one.

And it was costly. It often involved conflict, confrontation, and real risk—because evil rarely retreats without a fight.
(See 2 Kings 12:2–3; 2 Kings 18:3–6; Ephesians 6:11–12.)

Legacy: the sentence that outlasts kingdoms

Yet faithfulness was the only measure that mattered.

Few of those rulers’ names are found outside of Scripture, and even those who are remembered are memorialized eternally by a simple sentence such as:

“He did not walk in the ways of David.”
(See 1 Kings 15:26; 2 Kings 15:9.)

That should sober us.

Your legacy and God’s record

I believe it will be the same for us. We may pursue whatever legacy we want: some are remembered for great wickedness; others for accomplishment or philanthropy. But all of those labels melt away with time. The vast majority of human lives vanish into the sea of history.

But none are lost to the Lord.

And there is only one measure that will matter in the only record that lasts forever:

Did they walk with the Lord?
(See Hebrews 4:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10.)

The only records that last

1) The Lamb’s Book of Life

The first book a person must be found in is the Lamb’s Book of Life. And this book is easy to get into.

If a person trusts in Jesus Christ—His deity and His sacrifice on the cross for sin—that person’s name is written there.
(See John 3:16; John 5:24; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 21:27.)

We don’t yet know how detailed the wording will be, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were something like:

“Caroline Smith—trusted Christ for salvation and received eternal life by the power and sacrifice of the Lamb on June 18, 2024.”

2) The judgment that measures faithfulness

Then comes the next evaluation that matters: the believer’s judgment for rewards.

1 Corinthians 3 teaches that every believer will have the privilege of standing before the Lord. All sins have been paid for in full. Every empty and foolish thing will be burned away. And the believer’s life will be evaluated based on what was done in faith.
(See 1 Corinthians 3:11–15; 2 Corinthians 5:10.)

What car one drove, what degree one earned, whether one succeeded in business—none of that will matter there. The question will not be: Were you impressive?

The question will be:

What was the Lord able to do through you as you trusted Him?

Living for the only evaluation that matters

If we are thinking clearly, this is the only evaluation worth living for. It is the only one that matters—and the only one that lasts into eternity.

Like the kings of Judah and Israel, we can get distracted by worldly measures: fame, wealth, power, applause. But the wisest among us will keep our eyes fixed on Christ, value what He values, and pursue Him moment by moment in faith—walking by means of the Spirit for His glory, honor, and praise.
(See Colossians 3:1–4; Galatians 5:16; 2 Corinthians 4:16–18.)