Expect to Succeed
As he stood outside his house and
watched the sunrise he thought of the good times he had as a young man; the
cool mornings and fond memories that flooded his mind. The recollections of his
childhood sprinkled his thoughts as he viewed the morning dew. It seems as
though time changes a man, but perhaps only the surroundings are changed. Sure,
wisdom changes and grows a man, but surroundings are what require the changes
to take place. Life’s struggles cause a man to examine what has happened to him
over the years. Adjustments in one’s life must be made to continue on to
success in this life. Success comes in many forms; spiritual, financial,
health, family and relationships.
Standing in the quiet of the morning
makes one think and reflect on the successes and failures that have manifested
themselves in a person’s life. He could
see that the world had changed and most people no longer cared for others. They
cared only for themselves and what pleased them; whether good or evil. The
lives of men had turned inward; leaning only on the pleasures of the flesh;
shunning even the very thought of God. However, Noah found grace in the sight
of the Lord. God spoke and told him that he was going to destroy the earth, but
Noah and his family would succeed (Genesis 6).
God had a plan for Noah’s life. God
told him what to do and he expected God’s word to be true. He expected to
succeed in the task laid before him. Think about the task of building an
ark. Genesis 6:15 in the Bible tells us
the Ark's dimensions were at least 135 meters long (300 cubits), 22.5 meters
wide (50 cubits), and 13.5 meters high (30 cubits). That's 450 feet long, 75
feet wide and 45 feet high! It could have been larger due to the uncertainty of
the exact size of a cubit (A cubit was the approximate length from a man’s
finger tips to his elbow). The Ark was enormous! An average cruise liner is
approximately 900 feet long. The ark was more than half the size of these
enormous vessels of the twenty-first century.
Add to the enormity of the project;
it was built by four men and their wives. It took a maximum of 120 years and a
minimum of 55 years to build the Ark (depending on different calculations
available to us). Suffice to say, it was a major under-taking for a single man
to contemplate. Nevertheless, Noah accepted the assignment and no doubt
expected it to succeed.
Did Noah ever doubt that he would
succeed? Understanding the mind of common man; most likely he did. He must have
had many doubts in the years it took to build such a vessel. Add to those
doubts the “Laughers” of the time that said he was crazy for building a boat in
the middle of a field; miles from the water. Surely there were doubts, but God
had commissioned the assignment and Noah trudged on.
If you have prayed about what you
are doing and believe God, you will succeed. Most people simply go get a job;
any job that presents itself. There is no prayer or seeking God, they simply go
to work. But I submit, believers should lift up everything they do to God and
allow him to bless it. If what a person is doing is blessed by God it will
succeed. That does not mean one will not encounter struggles and hardships
along the way. That is part of the growth that is needed for one to acquire
everything God has planned for him or her.
The personal growth that is learned
during struggles and hardships allow you to be equipped to handle the success.
Have you ever wondered why you hear about a person winning the lottery and then
a year or two later it is learned that they are back to being broke? That is
because it takes personal growth to handle success. The struggles are never
fun, but are always needed to ensure continued success.
“Expecting Success” is manifested in
many ways. Many do not have a problem expecting God to answer in unspiritual
ways such as a bill that has to be met or other minor emergencies.
Others can “expect God” to answer a
small prayer or meet a small spiritual need. But what about major needs that
must be met? What about major physical needs, enormous financial struggles or
believing that God can save an atheistic loved one? These “major needs” are not
major for God. Nevertheless, we treat the “major” needs as insurmountable and
many times do not attempt them at all.
God wants us to trust him in all
things. He wants us to know and believe that He is The Provider. If you are not
attempting major things in your life for the glory of God then you are not trusting
God. You are trusting in your own abilities or the abilities of others.
The success of the Christian does
not necessarily depend on his or her faith in God. After all, there have been
many unbelievers who have had a successful life. Nevertheless, the Christian’s
life will never be everything it can be without faith in God.
For example, there are many who can
believe God for a million dollar “miracle.” But if earning a million dollars is
within their normal purview, they are trusting in what they can do, not what God
can do.
God wants us to attempt great and mighty
works for him. Jesus said:
I tell you the truth, anyone who
has faith in me will do what I
have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask
in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father. You may ask me
for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:12)
Many try to discount the above
passage as a euphemism; something that was said only for emphasis. However,
there are many passages that tell the children of God that they are heirs to
the King and can expect to receive blessings from God. Romans 8:17 calls us
“joint heirs” with Jesus. Acts 1:8 says, “You will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you . . .” In Romans 15:19 Paul said he has power to do
miracles through the Holy Spirit. Even though many say that miracles no longer
happen, I submit the question, “Why?”
Has God’s love for his children
changed so that he no longer wants to shower them with blessings and gifts?
Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to
those who ask him (Matthew 7:11)?” The natural
father wants to give his children more
as life progresses; not less. How much more would your Heavenly Father want you
to operate in the gifts he gave those who believe in him?
Your business or job is the same
way. If you are a child of the King you can expect to have the blessings that
God gives to his children. You can expect God to walk with you and protect your
interests if your interests coincide with God’s. Every aspect of your life is
blessed by God if you abide in his love and accept his grace.
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