Success

In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

How do we measure success in life? Our maybe I should ask, “Do we measure life by success? It’s a little different turn of the same question. But, it's an issue that sets our course. Whether you find yourself driven by blind ambition or struggling to survive, these questions enter into the fray. We are approaching the season when we will focus a great deal of attention on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb is a symbol of the triumph of Jesus over death. It is appropriate to celebrate His success. After all, His victory is a defining characteristic of the Christian life. Consider the rhetorical questions raised by the Apostle Paul: "Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?" Yet it was not from the empty tomb that Jesus issued a proclamation. It was from the cross, just before His death, that Jesus uttered a declaration of success. He said, “It is finished". His words and His actions define success in terms of radical obedience. A life marked with obedience is a successful life.