Success

3 Superbowls...millions of dollars...the best at his position in hsi job...yet for Tom Brady, the though still remains, "There's gotta be something more than this..."
Have you ever seen a dog chasing its tail? (Yes, I meant to ask that) I think that is how alot of the world looks at the idea of success...we have this faint picture of it in the corner of our eyes, and we begin to live our lives chasing what we think is worth the effort, until we are left with something that doesn't satisfy when we eventaully grab ahold of it...
How we define success says alot about how we view Jesus. We have been looking at this idea of "life interrupted" for the past few weeks and we have seen how God will "interrupt" our routine of life in order to call us to something out of this world...Himself.
This past week...our idea of success in life.
When will you be successful? When you get into college? Get a good job? Make lots of freinds? #1 on the G.P.A. list...? In Philippians 3, Paul showed us what his idea of success was before Jesus and after Jesus. In a blink of an eye, success went from what he could achieve in life, to knowing Jesus and what He had done in His life.

Use these questions below to help you dig through your understand of success, your relationship with Jesus, and your outlook on life!

1. Read Ephesians 1:16-21. Paul is praying that we will grasp the HOPE we have in Jesus, the RICHES we have in Jesus, and the incomparably great POWER we have in Jesus.
- What is this HOPE?
- What are these RICHES?
- What is this POWER?

2. "How I view success in life, determines how I view Jesus"...agree or disagree...why?

3. Why do we try so hard to gain success for ourselves instead of relying on Jesus, who by relationship with us, is our success? Why do we feel like we have to "earn" success?

4. Tom Brady's story seems to be today's version of what Jeremiah was talking about in Jeremiah 2:11-13. How can our world's understanding of success be like a "cistern that doesn't hold water?"

5. What is the danger in labeling "success" on, for example, making a team, being popular, getting into a school/getting a job, etc...?

6. Read Phil. 4:12-13...Paul viewed knowing Jesus as his success, which couldn't be held down to a certain aspect of life...he was successful, whether he was hungry or well fed, in need or had stuff...
- It was because of who he knew (Jesus) vs. what he could gain for Himself
- How do we shift our idea of success/fulfillment to this way of thinking?

Plan to join this Thursday night at 7pm at Matt & Amanda's as we dig deeper in this idea of Life Interrupted and our understanding of success!