Success is a word that can mean many things to many people. As such, there are a number of good things we as Christians do in this life. Whether it's prayer, worship, Bible reading, church attendance, outreach, missions, or any other number of activities, success can often get lost in the shuffle. How do we know if we are doing the right things and not just lots of good things?
For the apostle Paul, success became exceedingly clear. He had obeyed God by preaching in some of the most intensely opposed Greek cities of his time. By a lot of standards, it would appear as though he failed. There was minimal fruit even though he preached one of the best sermons ever given in history. At his next destination, he stated that he decided to proclaim nothing except Christ and Him crucified.
That was it for Paul. Nothing else compared to the power and simplicity of that statement. It was the grace of the cross that had the power to transform lives. It wasn't rhetoric or eloquence of speech. Despite everything Paul knew, which was a great deal, he counted it as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus.
