I believe every sane person on earth wants the best life he or she can have. God is not against us enjoying the things of this world. It is He who has wired us to desire the same. In fact, God gives us all things richly to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17, KJV). But I submit that realizing this enjoyment requires obeying God’s Word.
Even the physically and mentally challenged refuse to be deprived of the best life they can have. They too demand the opportunity to live life to the fullest. These days, they have their own sports competition, some with national visibility. All new public facilities must be designed and constructed to accommodate those who are physically compromised. By law, they cannot be discriminated against in the workplace.
These advancements for the physically and mentally challenged are not the product of happenstance. Rather, they ensued from that intrinsic desire to realize a maximized life. The mute would not be silenced, nor the crippled stilled, nor the blind obscured.
After Moses died, God tapped Joshua to replace Moses as the leader of His people. Joshua was being called to fill some big shoes. As great a leader as Moses was, even he failed to take the people into the Promised Land because their rebellion got the best of him.
Joshua was a man of faith. He and Caleb were the only two of the twelve spies who believed God could give them the Promised Land, despite the giants in the land. Still, Joshua was not of the stature of Moses, and he failed. What could Joshua do to assure himself that he would not fail in a similar way?
God’s Advice for Success
God had the answer to this all-important question. When He called Joshua to succeed Moses, He gave Joshua these priceless words:
“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 success.”
–Joshua 1:8, NASB
These words from God provided the way for Joshua to make his way prosperous and enjoy success in life. Clearly, God is not opposed to His people being blessed in life. He was the One who advised Joshua on how to do that very thing.
News flash! Don’t misconstrue the message here. Some religious leaders today make the pursuit of blessings and prosperity the main focus of their teaching or preaching. But please note that prosperity and success were not God’s primary focus when He spoke to Joshua.
God’s primary focus was, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.” Why? “So that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”
The point is that making Joshua’s way prosperous and having success in life was not the priority; rather, success was the inevitable benefit of obeying God’s Word.
The good news is that God is no respecter of persons. His will for Joshua was not the exception but the rule. That means if you allow the Word of God to be the guide for your life, it will make your way prosperous, and you will have success in life also.
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.