Here are excerpts from two great articles published by two great organizations:
"Write Your Own Success Story"
Link to Write Your Own Success article:
http://christianfellowshipbreakfast.org/resources/success-story
"We live in a society that is worshipping success. The sad thing is that most people do not know what success really is. They confuse success with popularity, or wealth, or position. If these are the essentials for success, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever walked this earth! No, success from God’s point of view goes a lot deeper and reaches a lot farther. It is not a shallow thing, but the result of the right kind of life. In this familiar parable, Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus answers three important questions about success; and in answering these questions, He tells us how to succeed."
"I. What is success?
At least three factors are involved in success, and we see them in this parable: the will of the Master, the abilities of the workers, and the talents. Now, please note that Jesus makes a distinction between abilities and talents. He gave the men the talents on the basis of their abilities. We often equate talent and ability, but in this parable Jesus makes a distinction.We are born with abilities, and certainly nobody can take credit for the abilities he has! Our United States Constitution declares that “all men are created equal,” but when it comes to abilities, this is not true. Before the law, and before God, all men are equal; but compared with each other, all men are different. We all have different abilities.
What, then, do the talents represent? Opportunities to use the abilities. The man with much ability is given more opportunities to invest them; the man with fewer abilities is given -fewer opportunities. But the Master rewards his men fairly: both of the men doubled the talents, and each one received the same commendation and reward. This leads us to a suggested definition of success: Success for the Christian is taking advantage of our God-given opportunities to use our God-given abilities to fulfill the will of God. And in fulfilling the will of God, we will bring glory to God, good to others, and blessing to ourselves.
Life then, for the Christian is a series of wonderful opportunities for fulfillment-fulfilling the will of God, and fulfilling the purposes for which we were born, and born again. If we are doing our own will, we are not successful. If we are neglecting opportunities, we are not successful. True success, for the Christian, is fulfilling the will of God by taking advantage of our God-given opportunities to use our God-given abilities for the good of others and the glory of God."
"Are you obsessed with success?"
Link to "Are you Obsessed with Success" article:
http://fervr.net/teen-life/are-you-obsessed-with-success
"The Bible has some humbling words for people who want to win at everything."
"The Bible on success
This is a really humbling verse:Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 4:4)Read that again. What does this verse say about our real motivation for succes?
More times than not, we do what we do, in an attempt to be “the best”. You see what others have, you envy it and you want it too … or something even better.
Students do this with grades, athletics and all kinds of extra curricular activities. Adults do this with parenting, church attendance, money, and their gardens.
They compare themselves to others, decide they aren't as good as someone else, and then attempt to surpass their peers in some way."
