Background
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
Matthew 19:16-22 KJV
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 KJV
What the young today miss out on, is that due to the looks of social media, many have bought the wrong idea of what true success is. Besides the media, the system of the world today has managed to convince young men and women of what success is perceived, our education systems have reduced learning to merely a means of living, burying up God-given gifts and capabilities but most especially purposeful living. However what is on the heart of the Father? Let’s dive into the Word…
In our first scripture of study, Jesus addresses a young man who believed to have obeyed every principle to attain success. Now, realize his approach was not wrong, indeed there are principles that cause one’s upliftment. As the young man proclaimed every command he has obeyed. What He sought to hear from Jesus is that after all the earthy prosperity and success, how could he attain longevity? His seeking after eternal life was to the end that he might live long enough to keep all he had attained. He left sorrowful as the bible describes because Jesus revealed to him, what he truly needed to attain above all things. Young ones today have faith in God for what He can do for them. Many come to God with the mentality of obeying biblical principles to succeed. The love and fear of God are lost in many, and this is why fraud, money rituals, and every evil means of making money are found among young people.
What is the right measure of success? As Jesus began to teach the young man, He said go and sell all you have and give to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. Jesus here implied that the young man has to rid himself of everything he has given significance to, and has believed to give him relevance. As seen in Ephesians 4:22-23, Jesus sought to grant this young man a renewed mind. A mind cleared of earthly influence of attainment and a renewed Spirit into the original likeness of God. True success begins with salvation. To know yourself saved is the first step to everything else, not just being saved but renewing your mind after the image of the Creator. By so doing we come to the knowledge of God’s good and perfect will for our lives(Romans 12:2 NKJV).
This then brings us to the second scripture, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. A life of purpose is a life destined by the giver and originator of life itself. True success is one who seeks, finds, and fulfills that which the mouth of the Lord has spoken. We can be motivated and inspired by many things arising out of the will of the flesh, and use our human effort to achieve. Once the mouth of the Lord has spoken, He is inclined to perform with our willingness to obey and see the manifestation( Isaiah 40:5). What keeps our name in eternity is what has been purposed from the beginning of time. God has made everything beautiful in his time: also He has put eternity in their hearts(Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV). What God has purposed is to set a mark in eternity, lasting impacts which run from generation to generation, a legacy. The patriarchs understood this phenomenon and sought wholeheartedly what God desired. Abraham, as the bible describes waited for the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10 NKJV).
As we bring this series to an end, my prayer for you fellow young ones is above all else to seek God with all your heart, soul, and mind, to love Him, to obey Him, and to dwell with Him. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness is not a business transaction but a willful life sentence dedicated solely to God. When He is lifted up, He will draw all men. His visibility and glorification become your lifting. As John said, He must increase but I must decrease. This is true success.