Living the Other Half

 

Can a success-minded person not be a Christian? That is a good question. I can say that many are “successful” in their business or other endeavors and do not know Christ. However, I believe that to be truly successful; one must have a complete life. There is no completeness in life without knowing Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.

Yes, that is a bold statement, but it was not me who made it. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” (John 14:6). How can you fully know who you are and what you were created to be unless you know the one who made you? For the success-minded person, Christ is the center of your life. It is Him who we serve, Him from whom we find meaning and direction. Author Neil T. Anderson said, “We don’t serve God to gain His acceptance, we are accepted, so we serve God. We don’t follow Him in order to be loved; we are loved, so we follow Him.”

“When you discover you’ve been leading only half a life, the other half is going

to haunt you until you develop it.”

Phillips Brooks

1835-1893

Clergyman

 

“Yes,” you may say, “but can’t you find God other than in Jesus?” The answer is no. God sent His only Son to pay the price for your sin. We have all sinned and come short of God’s standard, the Bible tells us. We need a Savior to pay the price for those sins. Jesus is the only one who has done that. John Newton, the author of the song, Amazing Grace, said, “When I was young, I was sure of many things, now there are only two things of which I am sure: one is, that I am a miserable sinner, and the other, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. He is well-taught who learns these two lessons.”

Success-minded people must not allow the idea of success to cloud their minds from the real purpose of life. As stated in the Westminster Catechism: “The chief aim of man is to love God and enjoy Him forever.” God loves you with a burning love. He has done everything for you to come into a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. All you have to do is believe and accept the salvation that is there for you. 

Without Christ, there is no success in life. Scripture asks us, “What profit is it if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?” Success-minded people know that real success only comes to a life surrendered to Christ. In it, there is a total success, genuine happiness, and entire completion. As G.K. Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” May it not be so with you.

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke 19:10

 

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2020 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without the permission of the author.