This week we will explore together further thoughts on yesterday’s sermon on success. How do you measure success? What criteria do you use? Webster’s Dictionary tells us that success is: a favorable or desired outcome; the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. Do you consider yourself successful? We will look together at these questions and hopefully come out at the end of the week realizing that true success is what God calls success. Achieving anything apart from His measure is not true success. The definition I want you to put to heart this week and learn to apply is a new definition. Success is knowing and doing what God wants and says in His Word. This is the true measure of success.
So for today, spend some time praying and considering how you measure success. Do you look at life as Webster defines it, or do you look at life through the eyes of the Lord and measure success as He does? Psalm 1 is a great reminder of what we should be doing to achieve success.
Psalm 1(ESV)
1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
This passage calls us to do and not do specific things. First of all, where do you seek wisdom and counsel? Do you ask opinion of the Lord, go to His Word, and seek godly wise counsel? Or, do you desire to follow the world’s way of doing things? Where do you go when you don’t know what to do? We are told that the truly successful person guides his life by God’s instructions rather than thoughts and ideas from those who would reject God’s Word. Do you do this?
The Psalm goes on to tell us that we are to delight in His Word. Delight means to look forward to, enjoy, seek, desire, and want. We are to seek and look forward to hearing and obeying what God tells us in His Word. We are then told that we should be thinking on these truths over and over, all day long. It is not enough to read God’s Word in the morning and then, close the book and go about our day. Our thoughts are to be rehearsing, musing, even muttering to ourselves the words we have taken in.
The result of this lifestyle is also listed here. The writer of this Psalm uses the illustration we can all so vividly picture, a tree. If we do what is listed above, our lives will be like strong and healthy trees. They withstand the elements of weather and they bear fruit. We will be examples both to ourselves and to others of what God truly deems success. Verse 3 says “In all that he does, he prospers.” If you want to be successful, to prosper, then, begin today to do what this Psalm calls on us to do. Leave the instruction of the world behind, seek God and godly counsel. Meditate, delight, hunger for His Word today. Think on His principles, His guidelines, and His thoughts throughout the day. Then, you will also be truly successful.
Tomorrow we will look at another example in Scripture of how God measures success. But for now, if you are already doing this, keep it up. If you don’t regularly spend time in God’s Word, today is your day. Read this Psalm over and over. Print it out, meditate on it. Do what it says. Pray it back to God. He is the giver of all that is good. Seek Him first.
Keep on keeping on,
Dennis
Posted on
Monday, February 8, 2010
by Dennis Newkirk