Real Success: A Modern Guide to Investing Your Life in What Matters

By Dwayne Moore

Hey friend! As we dig into Day 2 of this journey together, I want to ask you something that might feel a bit uncomfortable: What does real success look like in your life?

I know, I know: that’s the kind of question that makes us squirm a little. But stick with me, because what we’re about to discover might completely flip your perspective on what it means to truly “make it” in life.

What Does It Actually Mean to “Invest” Your Life?

Every single day, we hear success stories everywhere we turn. Someone just got promoted. A friend bought her dream house. That worship artist  you follow on Instagram just launched her ministry. Your neighbor’s kid got into their top college choice.

Success seems to be happening all around us, and honestly? It’s amazing! People are crushing it in their careers, families, and relationships. Some folks become overnight sensations, others join the ranks of the independently wealthy. Not a week goes by without someone graduating, getting that promotion, or hitting a major life milestone.

But here’s what I’ve learned after years of coaching church leaders and women worshipping in ministry: Many people succeed IN life, but far fewer actually succeed AT life.

The Dash Between the Dates

Despite what our culture tells us, life is actually quite long. In fact, it’s eternally long. The only thing short about our lives is this brief part we live on earth! These few years we have here are no longer than the dash between the dates that will one day be etched on our tombstones.

King David understood this when he wrote:

“All our days pass away under your wrath. We finish our years with a moan. All of our days are seventy years; eighty if we have the strength. Yet their span is but trouble and sorrow. For they quickly pass and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10).

Ouch, right? But David wasn’t being a pessimist: he was being realistic about our earthly timeline. Once our time here is finished, our spirits live on. Who we are now determines where and how we’ll live for the rest of our eternal days.

That’s probably why David continued with this game-changing verse: “Teach us to number our days correctly that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Redefining Success for Worship and Ministry Leaders

Let’s be honest for a minute. In ministry, it’s SO easy to get caught up in the wrong measurements of success. How many people came to worship? Did that pure praise moment happen during a service? Are we growing our worship missions outreach?

But here’s the challenging truth: People can achieve incredible things during this life yet completely fail to prepare for life after death. Since our existence is eternal, these same seemingly “successful” people will ultimately have failed at life itself.

And that kind of failure is neither acceptable nor advisable.

The Rich Man and Lazarus: A Reality Check

Jesus told a story in Luke 16:19-26 that I believe was actually a true account (since He called Lazarus by name). Take a moment to read it: I’ll wait.

Notice how successful the rich man was on earth compared to Lazarus. Designer clothes, gourmet food, luxury everything. But which person would you say ultimately succeeded?

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

The only One who can judge whether our time on earth is truly successful is the Creator of life Himself.

The Servant’s Creed: Your Strategy for Real Success

Throughout this study, we’re going to return again and again to this powerful six-part poem. I want you to absorb it, chew on it, let it marinate in your heart. This gives us the greatest opportunity to hear Jesus say “well done” when our time on earth is finished.

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The Servant’s Creed

Think right:
I yearn to know my Lord
Above all fortune and all fame.

Aim right:
To yield to Him and love Him more,
Then that must be my aim.

Act right:
In serving Christ through serving men,
His praise I will proclaim.

Stay right:
By grace through faith I press to win
The prize and lift His name.

End right:
So when before my Lord I come,
Then I can hear Him say:

Win right:
“Well done, my good and faithful one;
You made the most of what I gave.”

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When we think right thoughts about God and ourselves, we’re naturally compelled to aim right at worshiping Him completely. As whole-life worship flows from our hearts, we can quite naturally (and supernaturally) praise Him before others as we act right.

Through God’s grace and power, we stay right, remaining consistent and growing in faith until our dying day. We’ll end right with peace and joy, knowing we kept the faith and finished well. And one day soon we will win right: the prize Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 9:24 is far better than anything we could win on earth.

What This ISN’T (And What It IS)

Let me be crystal clear: This approach to life won’t help you win the lottery or get rich quick. It’s not some secret formula for climbing the corporate ladder or finding your perfect mate.

But here’s what it WILL do:

• Give you real and lasting hope
• Reveal God’s incredible custom-designed plan for your life
• Show you how deeply loved and valued you are by Him
• Offer forgiveness for your past and restoration for your future
• Demonstrate the definite purpose and importance of YOUR life

My prayer is that you’ll discover how to best invest your time here on earth and truly succeed at the long version of life.

Success Begins With Dying (Wait, What?)

I know that sounds dramatic, but stay with me. Let’s go back to Jesus’ parable of the three servants in Matthew 25:14-30. Focus this time on the master’s response to the unfaithful servant.

Doesn’t it seem harsh? The Jesus I know gives second, third, and tenth chances when we mess up. So why cast someone into eternal separation just for not investing one talent?

Here’s my theory: That one talent represents the most basic gift of all: the gift of life itself. While some may have multiple talents, God has entrusted every single one of us with at least this one precious gift.

A friend of mine puts it this way: “Life isn’t a video game where we can insert a couple of coins and start over when we mess up. We’ve got one shot, and we’d better make it count.”

Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24).

The unfaithful servant was called “wicked” because he had never died to his own wants and his own way. His heart had never surrendered to the master’s will.

Time for Some Real Talk

Stop right here and ask yourself: Have you come to a point where you’ve completely surrendered your life to Jesus? Every part of it? Have you asked Jesus to forgive, cleanse, and come into your life?

If not, before you can even hope to hear Jesus say “well done” one day, you must first become His child. Don’t put this off even for a moment. Invest your life by first allowing Christ to give you new life in Him!

Here’s the bottom line: We can’t think right until we get right. Our thoughts don’t shape our heart; our heart shapes our thoughts. No matter how hard we try or how many good thoughts we muster, we simply can’t change our own heart.

Only God can create a clean heart. We must pray like David: “Create in me a pure heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).

Your Turn: Interactive Reflection

Instead of just journaling randomly, let’s get specific about what God is saying to you right now:

Question 1: What hopes and dreams currently excite and inspire you? List them out.

Question 2: Did “serving Jesus and living only for Him” show up anywhere in your answers above? Be honest.

Question 3: How have you measured success in the past? What needs to change in your “standard of measure”?

For Worship Leaders specifically: How might your definition of a “successful” worship service need to shift from crowd response to heart transformation?

For Others in Ministry: Where have you been seeking validation from human applause rather than God’s “well done”?

Living Like a Servant Today

Jesus said He didn’t come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Here’s your challenge: How might you be a “success” TODAY by serving someone else? Think practically:

• Could you encourage a struggling lead worshipper on your team?
• Is there a way to support worshipers in your community who feel overlooked?
• What lifestyle prayer could you offer for someone in need?

Draw it out, plan it, then pray for God to shape your heart into that of a servant.

The Next Level Perspective

At Next Level Worship, we believe that true success isn’t measured by the size of your congregation or the perfection of your performance. It’s measured by the faithfulness of your heart and the authenticity of your whole-life worship.

As church leaders and worshipers, we have the incredible privilege of modeling what it looks like to invest our lives for what matters most. Not just on Sundays, not just during bible study, but in every moment of every day.

The question isn’t whether you’ll be successful in life: the question is whether you’ll be successful AT life. And that, dear friend, makes all the difference in the world.

Ready for Day 3? Let’s keep investing together.

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Want to dive deeper into authentic worship and ministry success? Check out our coaching resources designed specifically for worship leaders and church teams.