From Creation to CallingSample

Diamonds are so common that they should be close to worthless, but intentional scarcity keeps the price up. When your leg is in a cast, the freedom to get in and out of a car becomes something you can’t take for granted. Every day you see that value can be based on the supply of something, your specific circumstances, or even society’s view.

So what about your definition of success? Take a minute and imagine what it must have been like to hear Jesus talk about success, worth, and value. Open the accounts of His work on earth and you’re struck by the force of the action, the passion, and the miraculous moments so thrilling they can take your breath away. The rage of the religious leaders when He disregarded their customs. The cultural backlash when He pursued the outcast and the overlooked. The shock when He declared that the truly blessed were the merciful, the broken-hearted, and the peacemakers.

What a direct contradiction to a society that kept score with accomplishments and assigned worth based on power, fame, and wealth. In God’s Kingdom, those things plummet in value compared to what Paul calls the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

That same Kingdom perspective is available to you today. Success isn’t measured by climbing ladders or gaining recognition—it’s defined by living in faithful obedience to Christ. When you take time to pray for a sick relative, reach out to a lonely neighbor, or sing a song of worship, you are investing in what God values most. Every small act of faith, every choice to trust His promise over your feelings, is success in His Kingdom.

Reflection Questions:

1. What is one thing that will shift in your life as you commit to pursuing His definition of success? What will you gain? What will you lose?
2. What is one thing you can do right now to reflect God’s Kingdom?