I HAVEN’T ARRIVED YET

I think if there is one word that describes the American Dream – I think that one word would be SUCCESS!

• Everybody wants to be associated with success;
• Everybody wants to be successful;
• Every parent wants their children to be successful;
• In High School, the one who did the best was usually voted the “Most Likely to Succeed.”

However, depending on who you talk to, you can get varying definitions of what SUCCESS actually means.  For example:

• Somebody said “Success is what every person wants to buy, but nobody wants to pay for.”
• Somebody else said, “The person that is successful in business is the person that can delegate the most, shift all the blame, and get all the credit.”
• Another said, “The successful person can shoot-the-bull, pass-the-buck, and make 7 copies of everything.”
• And finally, someone else said, “Success is getting your mother-in-law to go home early.”

Now I am not going to say AMEN or O ME to that one!  But I want you to realize that not only is SUCCESS hard to DEFINE, it is also hard to FIND.

I often feel like the person that said, “Just when I found the keys to success, somebody changed the lock!”

For whatever reason, I have always enjoyed biographies and autobiographies.  When I was in Bible College, one of my assignments in a Missions class was to read a book called “Through the Gates of Splendor,” written by Elisabeth Elliott about the life of her husband Jim Elliott, and four other missionaries as they took the Gospel message to the “head-hunter” in South America and actually ended-up losing their lives being viciously murdered by the very people they wanted to reach.

I enjoy reading about C.H. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, and about his life and ministry.  I enjoy reading about Billy Graham and how God brought a great revival to America through his ministry.  I enjoy reading about the great Methodist preacher John Wesley, and about the Protestant Reformation.

And I like reading these types of books for several reasons:  1) They inspire me to do more.  They make me want to press on and do greater things for God.  But 2) I read them because I want to know what it was about their lives and ministries that made them so successful.  What was the Secret to their Success?

Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10-14, “¹⁰ That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ¹¹ If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. ¹² Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

As I think about this passage of Scripture from Philippians 3:10-14, I realize that Paul is an excellent example, and in my opinion, outside of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, possibly the greatest preacher and missionary in all the Bible.  I think it is safe to say, Paul was a success!

I love to read the Pauline Epistles, I love to see how Paul responded to the challenges of his ministry.  And I believe the things that made him such a successful servant for Christ are the same ingredients that you and I need to apply in our lives if we want to succeed.  And perhaps one of the most simple ingredients is found in these verses.  Look at what Paul says in verses 10-12, “¹⁰ That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; ¹¹ If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. ¹² Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:”  Then in verse 13 Paul says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:”

You know what Paul is say here?  Paul is saying:

• I know I am saved;
• I know I am sanctified;
• But I am not satisfied.

Paul says, “I know Him, I know the Power of His resurrection and the Fellowship of His suffering, and I know I am being conformed – BUT – I have not attained, I have not apprehended – I have not arrived!”

• Even though Paul is probably the greatest Christian that ever lived;
• Even though Paul had a prayer life that was second to none;
• Even though Paul was possibly one of the greatest preachers ever;

Paul says, “I have not arrived.  I am not satisfied.”  Paul, at the time of this writing, was unparalleled as a missionary, yet Paul says, “I’m still not what I ought to be.”

The one thing you will find that every successful person has in common – whether it is in ministry, or business, or school or even athletics – the one thing they all have in common is that they are not SATISFIED.  When they achieved success, they felt like they had not yet attained!

Now Paul, when you look at his life and ministry – Paul was very Satisfied with Jesus – but he was not Satisfied with his own life.

And you know what that says to me?  It says to me that I should NEVER become satisfied in my life.  Never be satisfied with where I am right now.  Paul said, “I have not attained – I have not apprehended – I have not Arrived.” And folks, WE haven’t either.

Someone once said, “I am satisfied with Jesus – but when I look at the Cross, I wonder if Jesus is satisfied with me?”

I’ve heard it said that success is not determined by what you are – but what you could be!

One of the things that made Paul a Success for God was based on the fact that he never got to the placed that he felt like he had arrived, that he had done so much for God that he didn’t need to do anymore.  Paul said, “I have not attained, I have not apprehended.” And folks, we haven’t either!