What if the wins we chase in church—serving on every team, leading a group, showing up every week—aren’t the same wins God’s looking for? What if God wasn’t looking to be impressed, but was just looking for obedience? Would you be surprised? It’s unfortunate, how business practices have crept into how churches operate today. It’s getting difficult to tell the difference.
I’ve been an entrepreneur most of my career. I’ve relied on myself to make the decisions and to take action. Self-reliance is an asset in the business world, but a liability in the Kingdom. God’s not looking for self-reliance, He’s looking for dependance.
Would we be surprised that God defines success, “a win,” much differently than we do?
God doesn’t measure success, status, or performance, but faithfulness, obedience, and love. In His eyes, success looks like:
- Walking in obedience even when no one is watching (Micah 6:8)
- Remaining faithful in the small things (Luke 16:10)
- Loving Him with all your heart and loving others as yourself (Mark 12:30–31)
- Surrendering your will and trusting His plan (Proverbs 3:5–6)
- Becoming more like Christ, not just doing more for Him (Romans 8:29)
God’s more interested in shaping your heart—than your reputation.
Scripture
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
— Micah 6:8 (ESV)
Micah’s not mincing words, our God requires we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. “Requires” doesn’t leave room for our interpretation.
Application
Let’s breakdown Micah 6:8:
Do justice
Doing justice is about living with integrity, honesty, and fairness—when others are looking and when we’re alone. What does that look like? We treat people fairly. We don’t cut corners or try to hide errors. We treat others the way we want them to treat us. We respect others and reflect Christ’s righteousness.
Love kindness
God’s kindness goes beyond being polite or surface-level niceness. Loving kindness is about looking for opportunities to show mercy and grace to others, even if it’s at our expense. Loving kindness is about not holding a grudge, showing patience, and going that extra mile for a friend in need.
Walk humbly
Walking humbly means God receives the credit when accomplishments, recognition, or wins come our way. As a leader, it’s about admitting we don’t have all the answers. It’s about leaning on others when times get tough. It’s about refusing to wear a game-face that you’ve got everything under control.
Today’s Challenge: which scoreboard are you using?
Ask God to help you to apply this daily:
- Start each morning asking, “God, help me show concern for others.”
- Reflect at night: “Did my decisions honor justice and fairness?”
- Pause during moments of pride or frustration and pray: “Lord, I need Your help to see this through Your eyes.”
If you miss a day, just start over tomorrow.
Then pray this:
“Father, I’ve chased the wrong things. I’ve measured my life by what others celebrate instead of what You value. Teach me to see success through Your eyes. Let humility, obedience, and faithfulness shape how I live and lead. I surrender the lead. I trust You to define the win.”
Final Thought
God’s not interested in your performance—He’s interested in your heart. You don’t need a platform or an audience to be successful in God’s eyes. You can be winning even if no one can see it—God does. God’s scoreboard is not based on fruitfulness, but faithfulness. Can you be satisfied knowing that staying put is actually the win? Even though the world focuses on the external quick wins, God’s win maybe slow, hidden, and internal.
You’re not called to impress. You’re called to obey.
This week’s step: Don’t rush the transformation. Lasting change takes time. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Do a heart check—are you driven by applause or recognition, or is your focus on Kingdom work? God’s not focusing on your number of wins. In His economy, success is measured in obedience.
Snag this print-friendly version for your next men’s breakfast or Bible study.
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