2. Success from God’s perspective is understanding there is nothing more prestigious than being used by God and understanding life is worship.

3. John’s life demonstrated that the pursuit of self-made images is nothing short of idolatry.

4. Genesis 39:2-6
2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

5. When the Lord is with us, success is measured by our righteous living, and not worldly accomplishments or human glory.

6. Genesis 39:20-23
20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he
did.

7. God honoring success is having God’s blessing upon your life.

8. God’s blessing is not necessarily incumbent on favorable circumstances.

9. God’s blessings are related to our personal integrity in all areas of life.

10. God’s blessing should be used as a witness to others.

11. Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

12. Do not judge success or failure by what it is you accomplish, but by how much you have learned about humility and dependence upon the Lord.