26/04/2024
God’s dedication to our success resonates throughout scripture, underscoring his longing for our well-being and contentment.
As Jeremiah 29:11 declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse underscores God’s deliberate intent to ensure our success and grant us a promising future.
Through unwavering faith and obedience, we synchronize ourselves with God’s divine plans, allowing him to steer us towards success in every facet of our lives.
The failure of many comes from the thought that God is not interested in our success. The opposite is true. But there is a difference between man-made success and success that comes from God.
The difference lies in the outcome. Man-made success results to pride. Godly success brings out the best in a person — makes him what God created him to be and the by-product is success in all aspect of life. Instead of pride, humility and godly values are manifested in the person.
Let’s say, you pursue the path to success being taught by a successful person, like your favorite billionaire, whoever that may be. But you are not that person and you don’t have the same history. He may have teachings that make sense, like patience, grit, perseverance, hard work, vision, etc. In fact those are the same principles you see in the bible.
But then, God is not there. What you are following is a human being just like you.
The biggest lie from the devil is that God is not interested in your success. And therefore we have this concept of combining man-made success with godliness by giving to charity. We pursue success in our own way and then give to charity to bring God into the picture. We expect God to thank us, as if He owes us.
Godliness and success are not separate. Success is a by-product of godliness. Instead of pursuing success and then combining the outcome with godliness, the goal should be godliness. Success follows.
God is interested in our success, but he would like to be our partner and the glory will not be ours but His alone. He created us for success, not for failure. But the way He designed man is for partnership with Him and not to work alone.
The bible is written to guide us towards God’s goal and not ours alone. If you dig deeper, you will see that you will not trade the kind of life God wants for you with the kind of life you alone want for yourself.
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Consider the following verses from the bible:
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:8-9 NLT
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:10
(Photo by my son, Miko)
