One of the secrets to understanding the male heart is recognizing that men want to be successful in everything they do. But for me, success is my biggest idol. I need it too much to prove my worth. When is the drive for success properly rooted in a desire to please Christ and what does Christ-honoring success look like?
Understanding Christ-pleasing success requires understanding our creation calling. In Genesis 1 we see Adam and Eve created in God’s image to use their creativity to shape the rest of the created world, exercising dominion over it FOR God. Multiplying and filling the earth with little image-bearers, they were to shape every part of the immerging culture FOR the High King. The moral law being written on their hearts, they were to build a society based on God’s holiness.
After the fall, that fundamental purpose, for which we were designed, remains in effect. We are to implement Christ’s agenda of righteousness in every sphere of our lives. Surrender to Christ’s agenda begins in our heart, with supreme loyalty to the High King—loving him with all our hearts. Then we are to shape the inner attitudes of our heart, building godly attitudes like humility, patience, endurance, self-control, etc. Moving outwards, we are to shape our marriages, homes, churches, work places, neighborhoods, teams we coach, etc. according to Christ’s agenda.
We are designed not to be passive, but to rule over our lives, beginning with our heart attitudes, to bring them into conformity with Christ’s righteousness. That is the biblical definition of our calling in creation, and thus of success in our creator’s eyes.
As Joshua takes over the leadership of Israel, God calls him to this same fundamental purpose—shaping all of his life according to God’s righteous standards--and tells him how to achieve that success.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Josh 1:8)
Here are 4 observations from Joshua 1 about true success:
1) God appeals to Joshua’s desire to prosper, i.e. to be successful in all that he does. The ambition to succeed is entirely appropriate. Wanting to hear, “Well done” from our Lord, when our race is over, is a proper passion to compel us to want to be successful in each sphere of life.
2) Success is defined as aligning each part of Joshua’s life with God’s agenda—being careful to do according to the book of the Law. It is being careful to obey God’s Word in each decision of life. It is exercising dominion FOR the High King in each compartment of our life.
3) God reveals only one way to achieve this success—to meditate on the Word of God day and night. This very practical instruction from God makes sense. The only way we are going to shape our decisions and attitudes all through the day according to what pleases God is to be chewing on God’s word in our free moments during the day.
If I just read through 1Thes 5 in my quiet time, Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, I am more likely to turn off talk radio on the way to work, thank God for his blessings and praise him for being such a wonderful being. If, while traveling between appointments, I’ve been meditating on Eph 4:29, Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification, when I return to the office I am less likely to join in the backbiting of my boss. If I turn off ESPN radio for a few minutes on my drive home to consider how I can love my wife as Christ loved the church, I am more likely to be reminded of Jesus’ compassion and try to remember what has gone on in Sandy’s day so I can put myself in her shoes. We are to meditate on the Word day and night.
4) God tells Joshua, “Don’t stop talking about the Word.” This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. Having someone with whom to talk about how you are seeking to put Jesus’ teaching into practice is what Paul refers to in Eph 4:15. Speaking the truth to one another in love we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. As church leaders, we must be relentless in seeking to get men into small enough connections where each one speaks about his walk with God. Do you have such a connection with a few brothers?
True prosperity is adopting and implementing Christ’s agenda for each part of our lives.That requires us to soak our souls in His Word. In considering what God said to Joshua in 1:8, I need to renew my commitment to saturating my mind with the Word. How about you?
