John Maxwell Profiles in Leadership: Paul – A Successful Failure

This is the seventeenth lesson in bestselling author and speaker John Maxwell’s Leadership by the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, tell them to sign up to receive John’s free email devotional here.

By John C. Maxwell

2 Corinthians 4:7–9

The major difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Paul could have seen himself as a failure for numerous reasons:

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He admitted he was a chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).
He’d had wrong priorities (Phil. 3:4–8).
His life was hard (2 Cor. 11:24–27).
He wasn’t everyone’s favorite preacher (1 Cor. 2:3–5).
His prayers weren’t always answered as he desired (2 Cor. 12:7–10).

How could Paul endure so many setbacks and failures, yet be such a successful leader? God gave him a new perspective.

Paul understood God’s greatness was not determined by his greatness. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
Paul refused to believe failures are final. “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed” (2 Cor. 4:8).
Paul could live without understanding everything. “We are perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Cor. 4:8).
Paul knew God was with him during difficult times. We are “persecuted, but not forsaken” (2 Cor. 4:9).
Paul didn’t allow problems on the outside to get inside of him. We are “struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:9).