Good Success

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. This shouldn't be too difficult to understand. Do what God says to do, and you will have good success. Everybody wants success, so how do we apply this formula for success? First we need to know what God has said. Sounds simple, but it does take some effort because God has said a lot! The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and He gives guidance and direction on every facet of life. How to live your life, how not to live your life, how to treat your neighbor, how to treat your enemy....etc. So if we are to live out this formula for success, we need to start eating the Word daily. Once we get it in us, we must apply it. It doesn't help to know that we are to forgive our brother who sins against us if we aren't going to actually forgive him! I can read my car manual and know that I need to change the oil after 5000 miles, but that knowledge won't keep my car running if I refuse to abide by it. You might ask "where does grace fit in all of this?". Well, without grace, we would be lost because we are not perfect, and we miss the mark for sure, but we can't use grace as a crutch to willingly refuse to live the way God commands and the how Holy Spirit leads. We do still reap what we sow, even under grace (Galatians 6:7). In other words, if I choose to rob a bank, God would forgive me, but it won't keep me out of jail. Our desire should be not to walk contrary to God's Word, and then lean on Hs grace. Instead our desire should be to lean on His grace while submitting to the Spirit to lead us in the perfect will of God for our life each day. If we would commit to such a discipline, the result would be good success!