TRUE SUCCESS AT WORK | PURSUING GOD’S DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

Discover what true success at work looks like. Find relief from the tension between being successful and
living a faith-filled life. You'll learn from influential and successful Christian business leaders about how
they reframe success from God’s perspective. You’ll be inspired to be a light for Christ at work while
doing excellent work for your employer.
MODULE 1
Video: Professional Success as a Christian – Ross Cully
BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHRIST (2 MIN)
Speaker: Ross Cully
The Bible helps us understand that our role at work is to be an ambassador for Christ. Success comes by
focusing on our work today and the eternal.
MAIN POINTS
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore
you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
Him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
The overarching narrative of God’s story ends with what the Bible calls the renewal of all things (Rev.
21:5). Another term for this is “the kingdom of God,” which is basically what things look like when Jesus
is fully recognized as king. We live at a point in that narrative where we have been redeemed by Jesus
and are participating with him in revealing the Kingdom of God. in fact, the first thing Jesus instructs us
to ask God for in the Lord’s prayer is that “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). The Bible helps us understand our role as an “ambassador” of the kingdom.
There are several ways we can do our work as an ambassador:
• Be a witness. We can see His kingdom come through relationships. When we speak and act as
Jesus taught us to, we can encourage others be an example of what it means to be Christ-like.
Success, then, comes by being intentional with how we do our work; doing work with excellence
and through positive interactions with others.
• Focus on the end goal. When we remember there is another part of God’s story — Restoration
of our souls and of Creation when Christ returns — it shifts our focus to eternal goals. It helps us
to focus on eternal goals, and realize that true success comes by thinking long.
Success at work can come by focusing on both the now and the not yet — being a good ambassador for
Christ today and keeping our focus on the eternal at the same time.
REFLECT
How does an understanding of your place in God’s overarching narrative motivate you to elevate the
way you engage in your workplace?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What examples have you seen of God’s kingdom here on earth in your workplace?
2. What are some ways you can interact with coworkers to better reflect Jesus’ example?
 3. What are some practical ways you can balance focusing on both eternal success and success
today?
APPLICATION
An ambassador is an official representative of one place living in another. What is one way your actions
can shift to reflect that you are God’s ambassador — his official representative — in your workplace?
NEXT STEPS
Go through the 4-day YouVersion devotional Jesus’ Love at Work.
MODULE 2
Video: Success is Where the Herat Is – Marc Yount
SUCCESS IS WHERE THE HEART IS (2 MIN)
Speaker: Marc Yount
Success at work is biblical when you define success according the the example Jesus gave us. True
success can be defined by how much you impact the lives of others. Then their successes become yours.
MAIN POINTS
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not
looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” – Philippians 2:3-4
How ambitious can you really be and still love Jesus? Is there a conflict between wanting to be
successful and being Christ-like? Even when we know our work matters to God, we can still be left with
questions about how to live out our faith at work in practical ways.
One way to align these goals – loving Jesus and being professionally successful – is to redefine success.
You can define success by how much you’ve impacted the lives of those around you. You have an
opportunity to develop those who report to you as well as those to whom you report at work. This can
lead to quantifiable business success and measurable life-transforming success. When you’re intentional
about developing those around you, their successes become yours.
REFLECT
When have you experienced tension between your work and faith, only to realize they don’t have to be
at odds? What can you learn from those past experiences and apply to your work today?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is your personal definition of success? How does your faith factor in?
2. When have you experienced success by focusing on or investing in others?
3. How can you have a positive influence on those around you at work? Consider those who report
to you, your peers and those to whom you report.
APPLICATION
Identify someone in whom you can invest at work. Make note of the successes that your support helps
them achieve and the impact that has on your success.
NEXT STEPS
Go through the 4-day YouVersion devotional Serve at Work.

MODULE 3
Video: Living Up to God's Standard for Success - Donnie Smith
GOD’S STANDARD FOR SUCCESS (3 MIN)
Speaker: Donnie Smith
Christians are called to be set apart at work and in life. So our standard for work should not be
influenced by the world, but rather by God. And we can experience freedom when our focus is to bring
God glory with our work.
MAIN POINTS
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp
and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father
in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16
“Success in life, is finding what God wants you to do in that season, and doing it in a way that brings Him
glory.” Our standard for success can be influenced by what the world tells us we should measure
ourselves against, but God doesn’t determine our value the way the world seems to. God values us by
His love for us, and God’s love for us was set when Jesus went to the cross, and hasn’t been changed
since. “Success in life, is finding what God wants you to do in that season, and doing it in a way that
brings Him glory.” Our standard for success can be influenced by what the world tells us we should
measure ourselves against, but God doesn’t determine our value the way the world seems to. God
values us by His love for us, and God’s love for us was set when Jesus went to the cross, and hasn’t been
changed since.
As Christians we’re called to be set apart. Because of this, the world won’t always agree with us and the
way we define success. Paul cautions to not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but instead be
transformed by God’s Word (Romans 12:2). So what does God’s word tell us about success?
Paul lays out a three-part formula of success for the church in Corinth that we can still use today (1
Corinthians 4: 1-4).
• Successful leaders are good stewards. Paul says that we are servants of Christ, entrusted with
the mysteries God has revealed. This means that our primary role is that of a steward, serving
others and using our gifts and talents to reveal Jesus: his character, wisdom, grace, etc.
• Success requires faithfulness. Faithfulness means that we are committed to good stewardship,
revealing Jesus in many ways, including doing work with excellence, leading (and following) with
integrity or being generous with praise and credit. This will most likely mean that you are
counter-cultural in your workplace.
• Remember that God is the only judge. Being counter-cultural will likely lead to a negative view
by others, perhaps because you refuse to play politics, or you extend graciousness when most
people would not. You will only find the strength to do this if you truly believe that God is the
only ultimate judge and you’re focused on pleasing Him. Reputation doesn’t matter; only what
God thinks is important.
We can experience freedom when we stop trying to live up to the standards of the world, and instead
focus on bringing God glory in whatever assignment He has for us in this season.
REFLECT
What changes do you need to make to align your work more closely with what God wants you to do and
to make your work a pleasing offering to God?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. If you could change one personal practice or push back on one company practice, what would it
be?
2. Why don’t you make this change? What risk do you feel?
3. What is one small step you can take to pursue this change with a risk you can live with?
APPLICATION
What one or two changes can you make to work in a way that shows you care more about what God
thinks than anyone else?
NEXT STEPS
Go through the 4-day YouVersion devotional Excellence at Work.