Good morning. It is Thursday, October 10, 2024. What are your success measurements? Are they defined by how much money you have? The size of your house? The car you drive? What would be God’s success measurements? We’d better check to see if we are using the same measuring tape. Read on…
Today's Reading:
Nehemiah 3,4; Luke 23
Scripture
“… And even the rabbis were sneering at Him saying, ‘He saved others, let Him save Himself...’” (Luke 23:35)
Observation
We use different gauges for different situations—a speedometer for the speed of an automobile, a measuring tape for height, and a thermometer for temperature. Here in Luke 23, we find a common success gauge humanity has used throughout the ages. The rabbis expressed it this way:
“He saved others!” they cried. “Let’s see if He can save Himself!”
We’ve been taught to gauge success by how well we can save ourselves—how well I fare, how prominent I am, how well-off I am financially. But Jesus used something else to measure success. He didn’t come to save Himself; He came to save others! He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it...” (Matt. 16:25).
Application
Man gauges success by how well we can save ourselves, but God gauges success by how well we can save others. It’s easy to be a “gotcha” person, waiting for someone to err so we can hold it against them. But here’s the litmus test:
- Can we save them from their consequences through friendship and accountability?
- Can we save them from a misstep through our friendship and commitment?
- Can we save them from forfeiting their potential by believing in them?
Jesus said, “I came not to be served, but to serve, and to give My life as a ransom for many.”
God’s heroes are not always personally successful. They may not have accumulated riches and possessions, yet they are whole, joyful, and content.
Prayer
Dear Father, thank You for such a healthy reminder and for recalibrating my heart again and again. Thank You for keeping me from drifting into becoming a mere “religious leader” and, instead, recalibrating me repeatedly to become a genuine one.
In the end, you will not be measured by what you have done, but by what others do because of what you have done.
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