Want to have Good Success?  Meditate on This

I recently sat down with friend, business mentor, and associate Danny from Absolute Vinyl.  I shared one of my concerns as a business owner, Christian, and worker.  Essentially it boiled down to this: God promises to take care of our needs, but our needs are actually rather minuscule.  So how can I feel right about working hard, striving for success, and earning more money than I actually need?  He cracked open the Bible and flipped to Joshua chapter 1 to hear about good success.

“Be careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you… that you may have good success wherever you go… but you shall meditate on it day and night… then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

– Joshua 1:7-8

Concerns on Being Successful

As noted above, my concerns came from a few different sources.

First, I look around the world and I see people that are living life with a fraction of what I already have.  They have food on their plates, a roof over their head, and clothes on their back.  The Lord has taken care of them.  They don’t have many material possessions, but they are rich in relationships and love of God.

Second, I look at my past and where my earnings history has been.  There seems to be an arbitrary cap that I have yet to break through.  It’s enough to take care of my needs at this point in life so I can’t complain.  But it didn’t seem to matter if I would work harder in order to enjoy “good success.”

So was God saying that I should enjoy a moderate wage and not pursue greater wealth?

 

The Bible and Success

The Bible talks about success quite a bit.  Although it doesn’t seem like it, and many people mix up the words when they try to quote 1 Timothy 6:10.  The Bible says that the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Money itself isn’t evil, but the love of money is.

Elsewhere we see a number of warnings from God.  In Matthew 25 we read about the parable of the talents.  This is the one where the master leaves and he assigns three servants varying sums of money.  Two of the servants are able to increase their Master’s wealth and the third simply hides it and gives back exactly what he had.  The idea here is that hard work pays off, and God wants to see us work hard.

Back in Joshua God makes the promise that if you follow God’s will, meditate on his word day and night, then you will be prosperous.

But we also see warnings.  We see that it isn’t all about working hard and gaining wealth.  When Jesus talks with the rich young ruler in Mark 10 we learn that money and success bring about a lot of responsibility.  If it isn’t done correctly, the good success won’t be so good.

 

When Success Becomes a Bad Thing

The love of money is the root of all evil.  What it boils down to is a heart and attitude issue.  Why are you striving for success?  Why do you want to earn a great income?  Who is going to get the glory for your success?

My issue has always been that I want to make money for a variety of noble reasons.  I want to be able to give to those in need, provide for my family, and have a little bit extra to afford a few luxuries in life.  And God has given me all of that.  However, when I have strived for more, my efforts have generally been unfruitful.

The reason is that my attitude isn’t in the right place.  God has granted the desires of my heart, when the desires are in the right place.  Now I have to come full circle, refocus on God’s word and meditate on him day and night.  Only then will my success move to good success.

 

The Key to Experiencing Good Success

Want to experience good success?  Want to have a great income, never worry about money again, and be able to feel like you’ve made it?  The key is pretty simple:

Mediate on God’s word day and night, pray without ceasing, and in everything point the glory back to God.

Solve a big problem for a client?  That was God.  Make a sale?  That was God.  Earn some extra money?  Tithe 10%, give some more to a great charity (see Matthew 25:35), do things for friends and family, and give all the credit to God.

When you’re doing it for him, and not for you, then you can achieve good success beyond your wildest dreams.  As a content marketer and digital marketing expert in Billings, Montana; I strive to do all my work for Him.