Choose This Day Series

CHOOSE THIS DAY

______________________________________________________

S-ubject: Success

C-entral Theme: What is Success

O-bjective: Young people can have success in life by understanding three things that success is.

R-ationale:

I. Success is Fulfillment (your calling)

II. Success is Freedom (your joy)

III. Success is Forever (your past, present, and future)

R-esources:

Intro: “Winner”

Conlu: “Giving it up for a friend”

E-valuation:

Introduction: Winners

Below are two quizzes. See how well you do on each one.

Quiz 1

1. Name the MVPs of the last World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup finals, and NBA finals.

2. Name the winner of the last Heisman Trophy.

3. Name the winner of the last Miss America contest.

4. Name five Nobel or Pulitzer prize winners.

5. Name five winners of last year’s Academy Awards.

6. Name the winner of the largest state lottery in history.

7. Name the winner of the last Indianapolis 500 or Kentucky Derby.

8. Name five winners of last year’s Grammy Awards.

Quiz 2

1. Name a teacher who has helped you learn and grow as a person.

2. Name five friends who have been there for you during good times and bad.

3. Name three adults who have been excellent role models for you.

4. Name two people who love you and pray for you regularly.

5. Name someone who makes you laugh.

6. Name someone who has given you something of great value.

7. Name a hero whose life story has inspired you.

8. Name someone has helped you through a difficult time.

We all want success but not everyone experiences success because they have the wrong mentality of success. Here’s what success is not:

Success is not ---- WEALTH

Success is not ---- A WARM FUZZY FEELING

Success is not ---- SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Success is not ---- POWER

Success is not ---- SPECIFIC AND WORTHWHILE POSSESSION

Scripture Text:

Joshua 24:14 through Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

14“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I. SUCCESS IS FULFILLMENT

A. WHAT’S YOUR CALLING

1. If you really want to be successful in life you are going to have to know the calling of God on your life. A calling is not something that only preachers have but all people have.

2. How do you know your calling?

a. Talk to God and then listen to Him

b. Ask yourself what do you like to do. (Psalms 37:4)

c. Don’t choose a road or path just to make lots of money

d. Will you be fulfilled in what you do.

3. God has a specific calling and direction for each of our lives. Many people spend a lifetime trying to find their calling in life and waste precious time that could have been spent doing what God had called them to do. Whereas others listen to God and walk out their life calling and are successful.

B. HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

1. Part of being fulfilled is to know you are headed in the right direction. Most people young and old are on a trip with no set destination, no charted course. They are like a ship a drift on the sea. It goes wherever the wind blows.

2. The sad thing about going wherever the wind blows is that when you come to the end of your trip or life you will have wasted so much precious time that could have be used to advance the kingdom of God and to serve others.

3. If you truly want success in your life you are going to have to be headed in the right direction. Seek God and He will answer you.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

II. SUCCESS IS FREEDOM

A. FREEDOM TO DO WHAT GOD WANTS

1. Freedom is not “to do whatever you want” as the America way of thinking goes. Freedom in Christ means that you are free to do what God wants you to do. What He has called you to do.

2. When you begin to walk in what God wants you to do you are no longer in bondage to your flesh and following it’s cravings and desires.