The world gauges success in life by measures of power, wealth, and influence. Often, Christians consciously and unconsciously adopt these cultural measures when evaluating their walk with God, their relationships, and their God-given callings. Left uncorrected, false measures of success end in frustration and disillusionment, and ultimately waste the precious gift of time of which we are stewards. In this lecture, I seek to demonstrate that the true measure of success is authentic character transformation, which is rooted in our walk with God. Steady character then becomes the foundation of loving service to family, local believers, and community within the context and gifting of our God-ordained calling. Our calling, or vocation, is the superstructure built upon the foundation of character. This lecture likewise outlines principles and admonitions to aid the establishment and growth in foundational character. How we live as disciples of the kingdom of God on the local level is the true and enduring measure of success in this age and eternity. Only as we are safely established on the foundation of our character can we serve within the superstructure of our vocations as salt and light in our culture and, as God permits, the world at large.
