John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
Our world is driven by success that is measured by visible, tangible productivity. In the context of this, it can be hard to see connection with God as a key to a successful Christian life.
The importance of connection over production was a really tough lesson for me to learn. I grew up on a farm, where production of crops was key to our success. It was how we measured progress. The more we could harvest and take to the mill, the better year we had, according to Dad.
On top of that, my dear mama was a type A personality, in every respect. She practically wrote the book on type A. If she was caught sitting down for even a few minutes, she was scolding herself. She was also raised by farming parents who measured their success by their crop production.
So, when she started her career in Real Estate, Mom was totally distraught over how long it took for her to build a “productive” business that measured progress in number of houses sold. The more houses she sold, the more successful she was in her own eyes as well as the eyes of the community.
While this kind of type A lifestyle produces visible, tangible results and brings recognition from others, the question remains: Is volume of production and social status the end goal for our lives as followers of Christ? Is success decided by what we do, or by who we are? What is God’s definition of success? How does He define a life well lived?
Matt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Jesus wants to know us. He wants to shape our thinking to match His heart. His goal is intimate relationship, dependence, and trust that leads to obedience. He’s interested in shaping who we are. He longs to mold us into Christ-like branches of the Vine—branches that bear beautiful fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—fruit that will attract hungry souls to the Father’s heart (Gal. 5:22-23).
This is God’s view of success.
If we want to be successful in our Christian lives, Connection must take priority over production. But as we develop and maintain an obedient, intimate relationship with Christ, that connection will result in production for the Kingdom.
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