Jesus was so concerned that we would live successful and abundant  lives that he even told stories about “How to have success.”  You’re going to love what he said!

But first let’s see what the world says about success.   You see, some people believe success means having close family unity, and there is no doubt this is very important.  But what happens if your daughter moves across the globe, or you suddenly lose your spouse or child in an untimely death?

Others think success is about possessions – having a big house or a nice car.  Likewise, if you live on the edge of a volcano in Guatemala you might think you’re a great success once you finally own a mule.  But alas, we know houses need maintenance, cars get old, and mules die.

Of course, there are some who live as if success is about power or popularity.   Yet just think of all the people have never even heard of James Garfield.  He was a popular, powerful, and prestigious guy, who by the way, was the 20th President of the United States.

So, instead of using logic or opinions to determine true success, let’s look at a story about success, from Jesus, the world’s greatest storyteller.

“The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

“After a long time, their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 25:14-30)

This story is about heaven’s perspective of success.

First, Jesus uses his story to describe what really matters to God.  When he says, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like. . . ” it’s very similar to saying, “Here is how heaven measures your success!”

Second, Jesus shows us how true success works when we use, invest, and grow the talents and abilities God has blessed us with.   In our modern world we might say, “Be all you can be,” or “Be the very best version of yourself.”

This could mean “Be a great husband or wife, be a loving and encouraging parent, use your talents and efforts to excel at your work, study diligently and do your best as a student, eat right and exercise to care for your body.

Third, contrary to our modern culture, Jesus explains how using our talents and abilities results in getting more responsibility – not less.   Success is not defined by someone who has loads of free time to kick back on the beach, or by being able to sleep until noon, or by making money while you sleep.  Nope.  Here the king says, “You’ve done a great job with small responsibilities, so let me give you even more!”

Like any endeavor in athletics, our life goals need to be to score more goals – not less.  In terms of faith and life, this means falling deeper in love with God, laughing, smiling, and caring more.  Isn’t success at its best when we are giving and loving more?

Fourth, Jesus astounds us with a concluding statement that seems very harsh and not at all Christlike but is vital to understanding success.  Jesus said, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29).

To understand what this means, consider our modern expression, “Use it or lose it.”  If we don’t use our talents, we eventually lose them. For example, if you learn a foreign language but never practice it, you’ll lose your skill.  Leave it to the brilliance of Jesus to express four amazing truths about success – true success – inside one short story!

Let’s pray. “Dear Jesus, please help me be the very best version of myself.  Help me use the talents you have given me. Bless me so I can be a blessing to others.”

My friends, Satan wants to rob you of the power and talent God has poured into you. To help you in this battle, we’d like to bless you with the FREE audiobook or PDF of our book, Why To Be Happy: God’s Solutions for Defeating Satan’s Lies.   Together, let’s learn how to use our talents so we can hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Click the button below to get started today!