Focus: Success At Its Best!

Text: Josh.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."

"Good success" as stated here in our text is in reality success at its best. Solomon tells us that "the blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it" (Prov.10:22). True success is a blessing from God; it is God-given.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "My meat is to DO the will of him that sent me, and to FINISH his work" (Jh.4:34). God brought you into this world for a purpose, and finding, facing, and fulfilling that purpose - that is success at its best. 

In His prayer in John 17, Christ presented to the Father His scorecard, and in that scorecard He highlighted four aspects of His earthly mission. Firstly, He said, "I have GLORIFIED thee on the earth…" Secondly, He said, "I have FINISHED the work which thou gavest me to do." Thirdly, He said, "I have MANIFESTED thy name unto the men… I have DECLARED unto them thy name…" Lastly, He said, "I have GIVEN unto them the words which thou gavest me… I have GIVEN them thy word…" On the cross He declared, "It is finished." The Father said of Him twice, first, at the spot where He was baptized, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," and second, at the Mount of Transfiguration, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Mt.3:17; 17:5). 

In the first testimony, the Father was already well-pleased with Him even when He had yet to begin His mission to the human race, and while He was doing it, He testified, "I do always those things that please him" (Jh.8:29). That is truly success at its best. God-pleasing success is success at its best. 

If God is pleased with my success, then I am truly a success, but if God frowns at my success, it means that I am a failure. That success that excludes God is doomed.

Christ went back to His Father as a successful and a fulfilled person.

Zechariah declared, "This is God's message to Zerubbabel:[a] 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak'" (Zech.4:6). Success that is made possible by the Spirit of God - that is success at its best. The Spirit makes a success out of a few and weak people. Nobodies become somebodies by His enabling. He makes people from unexpected quarters to achieve great feats. That is success at its best.

Knowing, doing and fulfilling the will or purpose of God - that is success at its best. Leading a life and doing things that please God - that is success at its best. I pray that you achieve success at its best. It is God-pleasing and self-fulfilling.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter