How God Measures Success

What is the world’s picture of a successful person? Is it of a mover and shaker who gets things done? A charismatic leader who is eagerly listened to and willingly followed? A trendsetter who is admired and copied? Someone who is respected and honored? Someone who is self-confident and secure? By the world’s standards, that someone would be a resounding success.

That’s why the world would consider Jeremiah a miserable failure. Even though he was chosen, prepared and directed by God to serve as His prophet, and even though he spent 40 years faithfully warning God’s chosen people to repent or be punished, they refused to listen. In fact, they also ignored, rejected, threatened, abused, imprisoned and even deported him. By the world’s standard of success Jeremiah was a real failure.

But guess what? A prophet’s success is not measured by the world’s standard, but God’s. And by God’s standard of faithfulness Jeremiah was one of the most successful prophets in the Bible. Even though the response to his message of repentance was increasingly negative, he faithfully obeyed God and delivered it with feeling – weeping over a disobedient people.

So how did God honor this prophet that the world would consider a miserable failure? By recognizing his ultimate success at least four times in the Bible (Ezra 1:1; Dan. 9:2; Mt. 2:17; 27:9), each time reminding us that His prophecy was eventually fulfilled. Surely our Lord’s words in Matthew 25:23 apply to the prophet Jeremiah: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful ... Come and share your Master’s happiness.” And for those who know the Lord, there is no better measure of success.

By Larry Ondrejack