Do you want SUCCESS & SECURITY? Proverbs 2:7-8 He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Greetings! BlogFam, do you want success and security? I have no doubt
that many of you, if not all of you will answer YES! I am clear that the ways in which we define these
terms for our own lives might vary but at the most basic level, I do not doubt
that your first response was YES. There is nothing wrong with desiring to be successful and
there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel a sense of security. And since we have begun our walk through
Proverbs, I am glad that success and security has come up so early in our
conversation. I am glad because I know
that success is something I want to achieve and security is something I want to
feel. I have my own standards for both
and I am aspiring to more but our verses for today help ALL of us to reconsider
the essence of what we believe success and security really is and who are those
who actually achieve success and feel secure.
These verses get to the heart of what true success and security are and
I pray that you would be open to what has been written in this Proverb. BlogFam, do you want success and security? Well, consider this - God holds success in store for the upright, God is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for God guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Here is The Message Bible rendering of these same verses – He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well, a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere. He keeps his eye on all who live honestly, and pays special attention to his loyally committed
ones. My Friends, I think we all get and would more than likely
readily accept the first half of each line of those verses… God holds success..
God is a shield… God guards… God protects…
God is a rich mine of Common Sense… God is a personal bodyguard… God
keeps His eye on all… and God pays special attention… Actually, I am confident that no one would
have any objection to God being all of the above. Furthermore, there is a certain level of excitement
that rises in me when I think of the many ways that God is present in my own
life in these ways. And all of the above
are ways I know that I have experienced God.
However, just as I invited you to reconsider the ways in
which we think about or even define success and security, I must do the same as
I take in the entirety of each line of the two verses for today. For these verses do not put the entire responsibility
of my own personal success or security on God.
These verses call for us to live in certain ways in order to have
success and security. Have you ever included in your own thoughts and ideas about
success and security how you should… live upright…walk blamelessly… act justly…
be faithful… live well… be candid an sincere… live honestly.. and be loyally
committed to God? Well, do NOT feel bad!
Most of the people reading this post have never added ALL of these as
terms to their success and security….maybe partially one way or the other but
never ALL. BlogFam, in other words, when we answer YES to the question
of whether or not we want success and security, according to this Book of
Wisdom, we cannot just wait around for God to make all of this success happen
or provide the security without taking responsibility to be in right
relationship with God. And NO, we do not
seek to be in right relationship with God just for the benefits of achieving
success or having additional security.
Success and Security are bonuses to the primary goal which is being in
right relationship with God and being the kind of person who is ALL of those
things at the end of each line in our verses for today. So, brothers and sisters, will you reconsider your
definition of success and security? I know
that you want both. But will you strive
to be the type of person described that God will make successful and keep
secure? I pray that on today, you would move forward as men and
women who are successful and secure in God.
I pray that the ways in which we define success and security would now
include our own responsibility to live righteously. I pray that you would trust God to be
everything God said God would be and that you would also walk and talk and
think in ways that would bring God glory.
I pray that you would challenge traditional notions of success and
security in your spheres of influence such that we can all raise our consciousness
to the true standards for achieving success and feeling secure. BlogFam, do you want Success and Security? Well, LIVE RIGHT!!! God Loves You and I Do Too! Delesslyn |