Biblical Success...

Success! Webster defines success as, a “favorable or desired outcome”, also as “the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence (a position of prominence or superiority).” The world has its plans and paths to success; get a degree from a big time school, diversify your financial portfolio, work 30 hours a day, etc. But our memory verse for this month makes it plan and simple.

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – Joshua 1:8

Prosperous is:
to accelerate the growth or progress of
to raise to a higher rank
to bring forward for notice, consideration, or acceptance

Success is:
the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason
level-headedness or reasonableness in the management of affairs
skill and good judgment in the use of resources
caution or alertness as to danger or risk
care in the consideration of all circumstances and possible consequences

So you wanna be prosperous and successful in life, at your job, in your relationships, in your marriage, as a father, financially, physically, spiritually? Easy, meditate on the Bible day and night! No conferences from famed motivational speakers, no seminars from multi-millionaire philanthropists, just meditate on the pure Word of God.

The word meditate used here isn’t this mystical, mind-emptying chanting. It’s the word used to describe a cow chewing the cud. A cow eats its food, digests it, then regurgitates it (brings it back up from its stomach to its mouth) and chews it again repeating this process over and over. Dairy cows spend almost eight hours a day chewing their cuds! To meditate on God’s Word means to “chew” it up over and over again. “Digesting” it, then bring it back up to chew again. It’s an aggressive absorption of the Word of God. Your success in all aspects of your life is a direct reflection on your aggressive absorption of the Word of God!

Why are you constantly experiencing broken/failed relationships? Why is your marriage so difficult? Why can’t you focus and concentrate on what you’re supposed to? Why can’t you stop that terrible habit/addiction? Why does it seem like nothing ever goes right in your life? I challenge you to evaluate your aggressive absorption of the Word of God!

New Heart, New Spirit...

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause [your way of life to be governed by] my laws and be [vigilant in obeying] my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” - Ezekiel 36:26-28

After listening to POTUS' speech at the memorial for the slain Dallas cops I thought it was a great speech. Don’t know how people are criticizing what he said. Interesting that he quoted Ezekiel 36. The answer to all of this is right there. “I will be your God…” When, and only when the individual acknowledges the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Creator and Sustainer of All, by their way of life being (2) governed by His Biblical laws and (3) solidified by the individual’s Biblical obedience – only then can the heart be changed. And this change can only come through (1) the acceptance, submission, and Lordship of Jesus Christ. Heart-change. That is what is needed during these times filled with fear and turmoil. Keep marching, keep standing for what’s right, those things are beneficial and are great. But heart-change is the only solution. And heart-change is only accomplished when you acknowledge, through living obedience, the God of the Bible, through Jesus Christ.

Thank you POTUS for reminding us of that through your quoting of the Scriptures.