Are there limits to success?

I believe success looks different to everyone, especially God. In Joshua 1:4, God defines the boundaries of the Promised Land: “‘Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.’” (Joshua 1:4, NIV) God didn’t say, “I’ll help you conquer the known world.” 

As an avid student of history, I can’t help but think of Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Ghengis Khan, Alexander the Great, and so many more conquerors who were never satisfied. It seems like their ambition, greed, or lust drove them to implode. 

Have you defined your goals and ambitions? It’s okay to dream. It’s good to set benchmarks and levels of performance. But we can get lost in the land of too much. The Bible warns us: “For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16, NIV) 

In the New Testament, Paul the Apostle also uses a term that helps us place boundaries on real success. It’s called a metron. “A metron – properly, a measure (the actual measure itself); (figuratively) the basis for determining what is enough (or not enough), what is fair (or not fair), etc. It is the controlling basis by which something is determined as acceptable or unacceptable – preeminently rooting to the Lord Himself as His being is the only ultimate measure of truth.” (HELPS Word Studies)

I believe you were created to be very fruitful in your metron. You were created with a purpose: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalms 139:16, NIV)

Isaac is a perfect example of someone who became very prosperous and then even more prosperous: “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.” (Genesis 26:12-13, NIV) Prosperity and success are not dirty words.

Crossing over will require you to set goals, work hard, dream big, and care a lot about others. You can cross over and succeed.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting a few Christian billionaires. Wow! Their wealth and influence have helped them change millions of lives. They are living by the motto, “blessed to be a blessing.” Their metrons are huge, praise God.

You may never be a billionaire, but you can discover and prosper in your metron because you are a miracle.