The Path to Success

    Self-denial. Delayed gratification.
    I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.
    How’s this, then….
    Success! The way to prosperity!
    Trouble is, most people think the two concepts are diametrically opposed to one another….that is self-denial and success. And that’s why success is a fleeting prospect for so many people. In reality, the two are inseparable. There is no way to prosperity without self-denial. There is no success without sacrifice….in any aspect of life! It just is how it is. You can’t succeed at anything without first making sacrifices, and many people never truly succeed in life because they are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices.
    But self-denial is not easy….hence the word, “denial.” It doesn’t seem to to make sense that the only way to get things is by denying yourself things, but it is.
    For example…. Four years ago I looked at a picture of myself and saw the embarrassing aftermath of gaining about two pounds a year over the previous fifteen years. Granted, I was pretty thin when the weight gain started, but I was obviously 25 pounds over, and something needed to be done. I decided to lose weight. The first month––nothing. The second month––nothing. Then I realized that this was really going to take some work. I had to stop eating at lunch and dinner while I was still hungry. I had to stop snacking all-to-gather (which was a KILLER!). I quit ice cream and sweets in general. I had to start working out. Believe me, as simple as it sounds, there were twenty years of habit to overcome and it felt like some pretty serious denial for a couple months. But then the pounds started dropping off and it actually became fun. In about six month, I lost the 25 pounds I needed to lose, and I kept if off for the next year. Now in the last two years, I put ten back on, and now back to some self-denial again, I am half-way back to where I need to be.
    But like everything important in life, getting our bodies in shape takes self-denial (I’ve been saying “no” to ice cream the last few weeks and its killing me!). Becoming a skilled musician takes self-denial (if you practice only when you feel like it, you’ll never be good). Becoming an athlete who excels on the field takes self-denial. Achieving excellence at work takes self denial (denying yourself the office gossip around the water cooler, denying the urge to procrastinate, denying the snooze button to get in early, etc.). If you want financial independence, you’re going to have to say “no” to a lot of things (like cars, toys, too much house, the latest of whatever, etc.). Success in any endeavor takes sacrifice.
    I realize that we live in a day when instant gratification is at our disposal. You don’t have to wait to get new furniture, you can just put it on your Visa. You don’t have to wait to get married for sex, its now ok to just do it with your girlfriend. You don’t have to save for a nice car, if you know how to breathe, you can get a car loan. But in those cases, as in all, that instant gratification lasts a short time, but the unwillingness to deny yourself will last with spoiled relationships or years of debt and thousands of dollars of interest.
    What do you want to succeed at? Where do you need to start sacrificing?
    In fact, Jesus taught us that the ultimate success in our existence depends on our willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice––our lives! He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34, NIV). He also said, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Mark 16:25, NLT). In other words, Jesus taught us that if we want to achieve the ultimate in life, spiritual maturity or intimacy with God, it’s going to take some serious self-denial.
    Maybe that’s why Paul used the analogy of an athlete working out in the gym to prepare for competition with spiritual growth. He said, “Exercise yourself toward godliness….” and then explained, “Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next” (1 Timothy 4:7, 8).
    It takes sacrifice to develop your relationship with God. Yep. Lots of it. But Paul was right, the results are eternally worth it!