Thought for Wednesday, November 7th

November 7, 2012

The Secret to Godly Success

“If I fail, if I succeed; at least I live as I believe.”

-       Michael Messer & Linda Creed (lyrics from ‘Greatest Love of All’)

   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 1:8-9

To become successful from God’s point of view requires basically three main things.

First we must love:  love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul.

Second we must obey: obedience is better than sacrifice.

And thirdly we must submit, surrender and serve: present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto the Lord, which is your reasonable service.

This approach to success sounds basic and simple and should be an easy course of action to implement: yet so many of us seem to fall a bit short of optimal successfulness when it comes to living our Christians lives.

For most of us our human desire is to press for success at whatever cost: yet we do not always transfer this same reckless enthusiasm and determination into our spiritual success.  And which is more important physical or spiritual success?  Most of us would of course say the latter: so why then do we not commit ourselves to a stricter regiment of discipline and a deeper level of commitment to ensure that we experience maximum success?  I wonder if this is not because, if we were indeed to do so; we would not probably be seen as being a success in the eyes of our peers and those around us: and sadly I fear we often hold their thoughts and perceptions of who and what we are to be more important than God’s.

God has given us the plan to follow and He has even given us His Spirit to live within us to empower, guide, direct and help us: yet He still leaves the option open to us as to just how spiritually successful we really want to be.

Today’s Prayer

Father, I am not as successful as I could be, but I want to be as successful as I can be spiritually speaking: so teach me, touch me and help me to make the necessary changes that need to be made.

“There is a candle in every soul

Some brightly burning, some dark and cold

There is a Spirit, who brings a fire

Ignites a candle and makes His home.

Frustrated brother see how he’s tired to

light his own candle some other way.

See now your sister she’s been robbed and lied to

Still holds a candle without a flame.

So carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn.

Hold out your candle for all to see it,

Take your candle, go light your world.“

-  Lyrics from ‘Go Light Your World’ by Chris Rice