King of the Hill

“The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.”
-1 Samuel 18:30-

When I was young, we played a game called King of the Hill every day at recess. It’s a pretty simple concept, really: All the boys would push and shove each other to the ground, and when the whistle blew, whoever was left standing on the hill was crowned king. My guess is that most schools have outlawed such games these days because of the sheer brutality. But I loved playing this game. You know why? Because as a youngster, I was the same size as I was when I became an adult. I was the undefeated, undisputed king of the hill.
I enjoyed my reign as King until the day a new student joined our class who was bigger and taller than I was. Worst of all, this student was a girl. And not just any girl. She wore cowboy boots. She made fun of the other girls in our class. She ate glue. And sure enough, at recess that day, she wanted to play King of the Hill. She dug her boots in the ground and came right after me. And when the whistle blew that day, I had been dethroned by a girl; I was no longer King.
I’ve discovered that King of the Hill isn’t just a childhood game we play. It often becomes our life’s pursuit: Do whatever it takes to make it to the top, and stay there. The appeal of success seems obvious. It’s about position and authority, prestige and clout. It’s about having the right seat at the table, the right space in the parking lot, the right title on the business card. It’s about getting the crown, the trophy, the promotion, or the award. Success is finding out how the score is kept, and then scoring.

The word success is rarely used in Scriptures, but one of the closest biblical equivalents is the word blessed. Even today, we tend to use that word as the humbler way of saying, “I’m successful.” A guest comes by and says, “You have a beautiful home. I love your sports cars and your yacht.” And you smile modestly and say, “I’ve been blessed.”
But think about the difference between those two words. Success is the word we use to speak of something we have accomplished ourselves. Blessed indicates not that you have done something, but that something has been done for you. Let me put it this way: Success is when we achieve; blessed is when we receive. If we say, “I’m successful,” we are giving the glory to ourselves. When we say, “I’m blessed,” we are giving the glory to God.

DENYING TODAY
True success is hearing Jesus say to you one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). How will He measure your success? Read Jesus’ statements of blessing from His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12. Can you resonate with any of those whom Jesus calls “blessed” (the poor in spirit, those who mourn, etc.)? Set a timer for just 3 minutes. Write down as many blessings as you can think of in that time. Then pray, thanking God for the blessings he has lavished on you.