It’s not easy for companies to see their competitors get ahead because they are paying bribes to officials overseas. Nor is it any easier for an athlete to see his competitive edge slip away because of drug use by competitors, or for students to watch others achieve higher grades because of cheating. Yet, resisting such temptations can ultimately bring a greater payoff.

The greater payoff involves looking for success in the right place—within a broader concept than just the “bottom line” or the number of wins or high grades. Success within this broader concept involves a higher sense of fulfillment, one that results in true gain; it acknowledges that success is linked to integrity and involves resisting immoral temptations such as bribery, cheating, etc.—using moral means to reach our goals. Success in the right place is also measured by whether we earnestly employed our resources and talents through hard work.

We can find encouragement in the Bible. For example, King Solomon saw the connection between righteousness and prosperity when he said, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch” (Proverbs 11:28). He also acknowledged the importance of hard work: “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich” (Proverbs 10:4). Competition today seems to be all-encompassing and could try to lure us to immoral means and shortcuts. Yet the Bible and our very own experience can help us understand that riches, in and of themselves, can be illusive, temporary, and undependable. True success, the kind that endures, is gained through moral means and diligent work.

Christ Jesus certainly proved this to be true. His parable of the talents showed how diligence was rewarded with success (see Matthew 25:14–29). His unparalleled morality, and his understanding of our true nature, even converted sinners, such as Zacchæus, who set aside corrupt means and made restitution for his evil ways (see Luke 19:2–10). Jesus proved that God, good, is our true creator—that God doesn’t lead us into temptation but delivers us from evil (see Matthew 6:13). He showed us that we can acknowledge God as “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and that this divine heritage gives us the strength to overcome and resist immoral temptations. Seeing ourselves and others in this way brings not only success found in the right place, but real healing.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “The conscientious are successful. They follow faithfully; through evil or through good report, they work on to the achievement of good; by patience, they inherit the promise. Be active, and, however slow, thy success is sure: toil is triumph; …” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 340).

Through our diligent efforts and prayers we can expect to reach true and lasting success through moral means. And our example and higher, more spiritual view of others will help encourage and prayerfully support mankind in this endeavor.

_{Adapted from an article published in The Christian Science Monitor, July 11, 2016.}