Joshua 1:8 – “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
What do you consider a “successful” life? What does it take for a person to be a “success”? If we were to ask the world, we would hear an answer like, how much money does he make? The public opinion as to how successful someone’s life has been seems to be measured by how many zeros are in their salaries, how big their house is, how much their car cost, how many people know their name, or how many companies they own. In the long run, though, it really doesn’t matter what popular opinion is. It does matter, however, what God thinks a successful life is.
In the eyes of the Lord, success is living a dynamic Christian life. (Galatians 2:20) Success is a journey we choose to take every day in which we are conformed into the image of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Many of us spend the vast majority of our time attempting to secure our success in life, forgetting the true mark of success, being Christ-like.
Success in its truest success is far from easy. One man once said it like this, “the elevator to success is broken, if you want to get there, you have to take the stairs.” True success is never achieved overnight; it is a step-by-step, day-by-day process. In our text God tells Joshua several things to be faithful to complete each day, if he wanted to achieve true success. First, he was told to keep the Word of God close in his life and heart. So the Bible should be committed to memory and hidden in our heart. (Psalms 119:11) How wonderful it is to know we have God’s answers for us in life. The difference between us and the world is that the world has the problem before they have the answer, and we have the answer before we have the problem. If we will obey in faith God’s Word and follow him with all our heart, we will lead a successful life, regardless of what the world thinks.
My Reaction: I must forget vainly chasing the devil’s idea of success and focus on the One who can make me a real success, Jesus Christ.
Prayer For The Day: “Dear Lord, please forgive me for my carnal pursuits. Help me focus on living for You by prayerfully embracing Your Word and Your will each day through Your Spirit and power. Thank you, Lord!”
