HoHum:
Moved from Cincinnati to Johnson in January 2022. Looking to help with Kingdom work so applied for and accepted the position here at Louisville Christian Church. When told this to friends and family they would say, “Okay, that will be a challenge, of what benefit is this going to be?” I would respond with, “I am unsure, but we will see what the Lord has in store.” See what the Lord has in store. What does this mean? Looked it up in the Bible and found this passage of Scripture: “He has success in store for the upright” Proverbs 2:7 New American Bible. “He holds victory in store for the upright” Proverbs 2:7, NIV. Great, I have victory and success guaranteed as long as I am upright, honest, righteous and one who obeys God.
WBTU:
Kurt Bubna talked about a preacher named Tom who came to Kurt extremely discouraged. Tom said, “I’ve spent my entire life trying to succeed at something, anything but the golden ring is always just out of reach. No matter what I do, my church just won’t grow.” Kurt asked him an important question, “Tell me, how do you define success?” Without blinking, Tom rattled off a list of measurables and goals that “must be met” for him to feel accomplished as a minister. Well, to be honest we often feel that way. I would love to have this place full of children and young adults. That is what we need. What if that does not happen? Have we failed or God?
The world tends to sum up success as fame and fortune. God sums up success in terms of relationship, character, and obedience. God desires for us to succeed primarily in our relationship with Him (seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness), then in our relationships with others, and then in our vocations and ministries. We can be successful in the world’s eyes but fail miserably in God’s eyes. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” Luke 9:24, 25, NIV.
What is success? Success is setting a goal and accomplishing it. As Christians, our goals should not be defined in terms of “my will,” but rather our goals must be rooted in what we know to be “God’s will.” David Faust defines success from a Christian perspective from Jesus’ prayer as: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” John 17:4, NIV. Jesus did the will of the Father always and as he came to the end he completed the work that God gave him to do. Charles Stanley gives this definition of success: Success is to continue desiring to be the person God has called me to be and to achieve those goals that God has helped me to set. Can an ungodly person be genuinely successful according to this definition? No, an ungodly person might achieve many things but he cannot truly be successful in life because he does not desire to be the person God has called him to be.
It can be surprising to us that God desires our success and He is committed to helping His people become successful. Nehemiah was determined to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem. When Nehemiah and the people started to rebuild, he immediately faced opposition from those who did not want him to succeed. He responded to those who opposed him by saying: ““The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.” Nehemiah 2:20, NIV.
Thesis: The Bible presents four concepts that are important to grasp if we are to understand God’s commitment to our success.
For instances:
1. God desires for us to live successfully regardless of our outer circumstances.
From a worldly perspective the life of Jeremiah was a failure. Jeremiah was a prophet in Jerusalem at the time of the siege and destruction by the Babylonians. Like many prophets, Jeremiah was despised and abused. Jeremiah was told at the beginning of his ministry that the people would not listen. Jeremiah was not only ignored, but he was mistreated, persecuted. At the end of his ministry, Jeremiah gave the word of the Lord to a remnant left in Judah after the exile. They rejected his counsel and forced Jeremiah to go to Egypt with them and that is probably where Jeremiah died. By enduring suffering and not giving up the ministry, Jeremiah and other prophets foreshadowed and shared in the sufferings of Christ of whom they spoke. Another definition of success is, “To be in the center of the will of God.” Jeremiah was definitely in the center of the will of God. He faithfully performed his ministry through suffering and tears. He completed the work he was given to do by God. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7, 8, NIV.
2. Our success is directly related to our faith
For a person to be successful, a person must first believe they can be successful. The question for all of us is, “Believe in what? Have faith in whom?” When we identify the object of our faith, we truly know the foundation for our success. If we are putting our faith in God to help us define and become a success, then our foundation is as strong as God! “And 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.” Hebrews 11:6, NIV.
Genuine confidence is to be found only when we place our trust in God and rely on Him to get the job done. “I hope I can do this or that.” Forget this hope business. Say, “I’m going to do this because God gave me this goal, I’m going to give it all I’ve got, and I’m trusting God to accomplish this goal in His way, in His timing, and for His glory.” Expect great things! God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20, NIV.
3. God’s commitment to our success is related to our courage and to our obedience in keeping His commandments
As Joshua prepared to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River to claim the Promised Land, God said, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”” Joshua 1:7-9, NIV.
The issue for us is not whether God is committed to our success, but whether we are committed to keeping God’s commandments, having courage, using our faith, and choosing to believe for success regardless of the unfavorable circumstances of our lives.
4. The Bible presents success as a process, not a destination.
Living successfully does not mean that we are going to live on the top of a mountain with a big grin on our face and a blue ribbon attached to our lapel every moment of every day of our lives. High points may come. They may be frequent at times but virtually nonexistent at other times. Success is to be found in the way in which we live our lives day in and day out. It is to be found as we pursue what God calls us to be and to do. Success is not the end of a process. It is how we undertake the process called life. “ I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10, NIV.
So what?
Transition: God gives us abundant evidence in His Word that He desires us to be successful. We see that evidence in at least 4 ways:
1. Each of us has a built in desire for success. Every baby comes into this world goal oriented. He has a built in desire to get his needs met and to take control of his world. He/she has a desire to learn to communicate and to become mobile- to scoot, to crawl, to walk. God has built a desire for success into us so we will act. This drive in us can motivate us toward the pursuit of the things of God or the things to satisfy our sinful nature (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- 1 John 2:16). It is up to us how we will choose to act on the built in desire God gives us toward success, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
2. God has equipped us for success. God has given us several natural talents and abilities, as well as spiritual gifts (for those who are Christians). These gifts have been grafted into our unique personality for a reason- so that we might use these gifts to the best of our ability and produce quality work that has a potential for both earthly and eternal reward. It is up to each of us to discover our gifts and talents and then to develop them to the best of our ability. That takes practice and discipline- both of which God provides to us when we ask.
3. The Lord has given us His Holy Spirit to help us succeed. Mention a few reasons that the Holy Spirit is given: to give us strength in our areas of weakness (overcome temptation), through the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God we are given guidance or “counsel” in the way in which we should go, including the decisions we should make, the choices we should make, and the opportunities we should pursue. The Holy Spirit works within us to renew our strength, sharpen our senses, and help us get the most amount of work done in the most efficient manner. It is the Holy Spirit who causes the use of our gifts to be effective in helping or blessing others. The Holy Spirit also directs us toward those who need what we have been equipped to give. When we yield ourselves and our gifts to the Holy Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit who comforts us and reassures us that all things are working together for our good from God’s perspective (Romans 8:28). “I do not have any gifts”- Do you have the Holy Spirit?
4. God has given us the power of prayer so that we might use it to further our success. Prayer is a powerful tool. “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalms 37:4, NIV.
