You will never meet an individual who does not want to succeed in life because God never created any such people. There is an innate, Godly desire in every person to accomplish something worthwhile whether of obvious outward significance or otherwise. This urge to succeed is not evil, it was implanted in us by a successful God who after He created all things was pleased by them, sat back and said it was all good, then rested. Even when the Fall happened, He immediately got working to succeed in the restoration of creation to its original state and purpose. Because God is a God of success, man – who was created in His image – whether born again or still in the fallen state, possesses that attribute that inwardly cries for success.
The problem arises, especially for Christians who should know better, when success is not properly defined. It is basic knowledge that the success of anything must be defined by its maker because they alone know its intended function and potential. This being the case, we Christians must have our success determined by God who created us. This starts by discovering, through inquiry from God, our particular purposes. When the purpose for our existence is determined, we must then pursue that purpose with all the ability our Creator gives us.
Now, we cannot accurately judge our progress or success by ourselves. Why? Because we have fallen minds which see only dimly and are prone to biases and excuses. That is why even Apostle Paul could not judge himself; He let God, before whom all things are naked, be the one to give an accurate assessment of his work (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). Paul also admonished us to “judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:5). On that judgement day, all things will be shown for what they truly are. You see, unlike us humans, God’s assessment of individuals and their accomplishments is not based on carnal knowledge but on the motives of the heart. This is why some things can be highly esteemed before people and yet be an abomination before God. For that matter, many people and works that are “first” on earth are “last” in heaven, and many people and works that are “last” on earth are “first” in heaven.
Our ambition should therefore be to discover what God created us to do for Him and embark on it with the sole desire of putting a smile on His face. Oftentimes, when we are on track, He will – for purposes of encouragement – supernaturally give us His judgement of our progress by letting us know that we are doing well. When, again according to His righteous judgement, He finds us faltering, He will either warn or chastise us. Why? So that we can achieve true eternal success for which there are crowns and other rewards that will endure forever and ever.
Pursue success, but only that which is true success.
God bless you.