What Leads To Success?

About a year ago I ran across this video on the internet.  It is from a group called TED.  The video is about 3 1/2 minutes.  Take a look and then I'll tell you where I am going with this.

When I watched this video I thought to myself "Self, I'll bet there is a Biblical basis for this".  I thought wouldn't it be fun to do a little research in the Bible and see if that is true?  Well I just finished the New Testament for the second time this year so I thought I would take on this project. 

I wasn't really sure how to proceed at first but I thought what I would do is start by looking up the word in the Bible and see what the Bible says about that word.  I started with Passion.

Well what I found was that the word passion appears in the Bible 3 times but each of the three times passion is used it is in the context of sex.  Not really what I was looking for.  Where to go from here?

I went to the internet and looked up synonyms for passion.  Now there were many but I sorted through them to find the ones that pertained to passion in the context of contributing to success.

Here are some of the words.  Zeal, fervor, fire, and enthusiasm.  Zeal gave me the most of what I was looking for.  Here are some Scriptures that support the Biblical basis for needing passion as part of your success formula. 

First let me offer four verses that show that passion or zeal in this case are part of God's nature. 

Isaiah 9:7

Of the increase of His government and peace

    There will be no end,

    Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

    To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

    From that time forward, even forever.

    The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 37:32

 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant,

    And those who escape from Mount Zion.

    The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 42:13

The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man;

    He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.

    He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;

    He shall prevail against His enemies

Zechariah 8:2

‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal;

    With great fervor I am zealous for her.’

God is a very passionate or zealous God.  He gets worked up about the things He believes strongly in.  Why is this important?  Well we are told that we are made in the image of God so I think it is important to make sure that these words are evident in God's character. 

Now here are a couple of examples of God's appreciation for zeal in others.

Numbers 25:10-11

10Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.

II Kings 10:15-17

15Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?”

And Jehonadab answered, “It is.”

Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they had him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.

Those that God seems to favor and listen to are those who are zealous for Him.  Now might be a good time to look at what you do for God and ask yourself if it rises to the level of zealous or not.  If not then maybe it is time to kick it up a notch.  I know I feel like I could do more.

Proverbs 2:4(NKJV)

4    If you seek her as silver,     And search for her as for hidden treasures;

This last verse I'm going to through in with an explanation.  Proverbs is talking about seeking knowledge.  We are told that we should seek knowledge as if we are seeking hidden treasure.  Have you ever read about any of the great treasure hunters?  There are single minded and focused.  They are passionate about what they are searching for.  Shouldn't we be that passionate about our goals as well?

That brings us to the last question.  What are you searching for?  In this case I am referring to how do you define success in the material world.  What are you passionate about.  As I've written in the past, one of my reasons for writing this blog is to share what I call everyday practical Christianity.

Here is an example.  Define what it is that you are looking for.  What does success look like to you?  Now the first question to ask yourself is, am I passionate about my goal?  If not then you now know where to start!

I've Got To Work?

I'm going to write about something today that has taken me a while to put together but I just feel that today God is telling me it is time to tackle it.  This isn't something that I ever remember being taught in church but I keep running across Scriptures that I just can't ignore.  So if this differs from what you've been taught I would encourage you to not take my word for it but study it yourself.

Let's look at this Scripture.

Revelation 22:12-13(NKJV)

12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the £Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Our reward in Heaven is going to be in proportion to the work we do on behalf of God?  I was always taught that my salvation was by faith and that works had nothing to do with it.  And that is true.  Here is where I was getting mixed up.

I was equating my salvation with my reward in Heaven.  Thinking that they were one in the same.  I have come to the conclusion that while they are related they are not necessarily the same. 

Our salvation is indeed based on faith and our works have absolutely nothing to do with that.  I want to be perfectly clear on that point.  Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the only thing that gets us into Heaven.  Were are you on that decision?  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  If not, why not do it now?  Have a conversation with Jesus right now.  "Dear Jesus…..".

In essence accepting Jesus is the minimum.  It gets us in the door of Heaven so to speak.  Where I now believe my understanding was lacking was thinking that once we got to Heaven we would all be treated equally and we would all get the same reward. 

But as you can see from the Scripture above, Jesus himself said that He would be rewarding people according to their works.  If this was the only place in the Bible that said that then I would probably not think that much of it.  It's one of those things that just has to be taken in balance.  But it's not the only place in the Bible where it says that.  Take a look at a couple of other examples.

Revelation 2:23(NKJV)

23I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Jeremiah 32:19-20(NKJV)

19You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 

20You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 

It appears to me that our actual rewards in Heaven will be determined by the work we do for the Kingdom while we are still here on earth.  Those that accept Christ but then never really attempt to get to know Him by being in the Word, going to church, serving, etc will go to Heaven but their rewards in Heaven may be a bit skimpy.  Those that go all out for God while they are here can expect to live in a better Heavenly zip code if you will.

Let me give another reason I have come to this view.  Take a look at this passage from Matthew.

Matthew 20:20-23(NKJV)

20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, £and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

23So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, £and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

Here we have Jesus telling the lady that there are certain honors in Heaven that even Jesus can't give out.  They are reserved for whom God favors.  So even here we see that not everyone will be treated equally in Heaven.  There will be a hierarchy. 

So what is the takeaway from this lesson?  Accepting Jesus Christ is the single most important thing you can do to get into Heaven and it is only dependent on your faith.  However once you've accepted Jesus, go nuts in all that you do for God.  The more you do for Him the better it is going to be in Heaven!  You can have an average Heavenly experience or you can have a superb Heavenly experience, you choose!

He Who Overcomes Shall Inherit All Things

Revelation 21:6-7(NKJV)

6And He said to me, “It£ is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 

7He who overcomes £shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 

I wrote about being an overcomer earlier this month in this post "Are You An Overcomer?".  This is just a great passage to use as a reminder.

God wants us to be overcomers.  It's one of the characteristics that God seems to place a high value on.  Why do you think it is so important to God that we be overcomers?

Not that I presume to know what God is thinking but let me just tell you my theory. 

Being an overcomer is an attitude and a lifestyle.  It's the whole glass half full or glass half empty thing.  How do you view your life and the world around you?  Do you naturally assume God is in control and things will work out or do you automatically look to the negative, hopeless side of things?

In a nutshell I think that the reason that God is so big on overcomers is that it is an outward sign of someone who lives a life of faith and hope and isn't that what we are called to do when we accept Jesus?  Overcomers live a life of faith and hope and so Jesus is a natural fit for many of them. 

Are you an overcomer?  If so get ready for some great blessings from God.  If not then it is time to become one and the best place to start is by accepting Jesus.  Have you done that yet?  If not why not have a conversation with Jesus right now.  "Dear Jesus…..".

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Psalms 100:1-5(NKJV)

1    Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2    Serve the Lord with gladness;     Come before His presence with singing.

3    Know that the Lord, He is God;     It is He who has made us, and £not we ourselves;     We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4    Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,      And into His courts with praise.     Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5    For the Lord is good;     His mercy is everlasting,      And His truth endures to all generations.

How important is being thankful as part of our relationship with God?  As you can see in the Scripture above He wants us to come to Him with a thankful heart.  Let's take a look at a couple of other Scriptures.

Romans 1:21-22(NKJV)

21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 

In this Scripture it is talking of those who know of God but who don't really know God.  One of the missing attributes from the relationship is thankfulness.

Colossians 3:15(NKJV)

15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 

And here again in Colossians we are reminded to be thankful.  But thankful for what?  That's for you to decide.  I would start with being thankful that God sent His son Jesus to cover all of our sins.  From there take a look at your life and figure out what it is that you are thankful to God for, and then let Him know!

Blessed Are...

Revelation 19:9-10(NKJV)

9Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 

10And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

I did a word search and I found that the phrase "blessed are' appears 44 times in the Bible.  Let's start by making sure we are all on the same page as far as definitions go. 

bless·ed

1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.
3. divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4. blissfully happy or contented.

5. Roman Catholic Church . beatified.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blessed?s=t>

One of the great things about accepting Jesus is that we get to begin living the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle.  What is the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle?  Glad you asked.  Take a look at definitions 3 and 4. 

Divinely or supremely favored.  When we begin to live the "Blessed Are…" life we begin to experience the super natural favor of God.  Things start to line up and go our way.  All the time?  Of course not.  But certainly more often than before we were in the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle.

Blissfully happy or contented.  When we live the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle we learn to be happy and contented in the moment, right where we are and with what we have.  Again does that mean everything becomes perfect?  Of course not.  But it does mean that we get to start experiencing contentment in our lives that we have not experienced in the past.

So how about you?  Would you like to experience the "Blessed Are…" lifestyle?  It starts with simply asking Jesus into your life.  Why not have a conversation with Jesus right now?  Go ahead.  Share with Him what is on your heart.  Invite Him to take over your life and you too can experience the Blessed Are…" life.

Dear Jesus... 

Called, Chosen, and Faithful

Revelation 17:14(NKJV)

14These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Wow.  Called, chosen, and faithful.  For some reason I really like the sound of that. 

Called.  God called us to come to Him.  He issued the invitation.  What do you do when you issue an invitation?  You choose who you are going to send it to.  God chose to send the invitation to us!  Pretty cool.

But what I really want to focus on is the last part.  Faithfulness.  Let's look at the definition of the word faithful.   

faith·ful

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4. reliable, trusted, or believed.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faithful?s=t>

What I want to point out here is that of the three words: called, chosen, and faithful; two of those words are in God's control but one of them is not.  It's in our control.

Think about that.  In God's magnificent plan, a part of that plan depends on us.  Now please don't take this out of context.  I'm not saying hey look how great us humans are.  That's not my point.

My point is that God gave us free will and that is even evident here in His plan.  His plan is that we will be there with Him at the end.  He actually has faith in us that we will come through for Him in the end and be faithful.  Now He has the power to make sure that happens but He doesn't use it.  He depends on us to ultimately make the correct choice. 

Now does He expect that of everyone?  Nope.  Only of those who have accepted His son Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.   Have you done that yet?  Do you want to be standing there with God at the end being counted as one who was faithful?  If so then why not just ask Jesus to come into your life right now?  Just talk to Jesus.  "Dear Jesus…."

Now why does He expect that of those who accepted Jesus but not of the others?  Well I believe its because God knows that He has equipped those that follow Jesus with the ability to be faithful and come through for Him.  And here is the final point I want to make. 

If God has that much faith in you, what's holding you back in life?  If He will give you the courage to be faithful to Him in the end times, what else has He given you the courage to accomplish today? 

When Is He Coming?

As I've written before, it's not for us to know.  Scripture tells us that even Jesus doesn't know the appointed time.  Jesus is hanging out with God in Heaven.  Some day God is going to snap His fingers and tell Jesus its time to go.  Jesus isn't going to get anymore advanced warning than we are. 

Revelation 16:15(NKJV)

15“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

See what I mean?  We are told to be ready.  Or as the Boy Scouts say "Always be prepared."  Now what does it take to be prepared?  First and foremost you need to ask Jesus to come into your life.  Have you done that yet?  Its easy.  Why not take care of that right now.  Something like this.  "Dear Jesus……" and just talk to Him. 

There, now that that is taken care of I want to cover something that I ran across today regarding the end times.  This is an example of why it is so important to be in the Word daily and have more than a cursory understanding of Scripture. 

Do I think the end times are imminent?  Personally I do not but I am ready just in case.  The reason I don't think it is time yet is that there still seem to be too many recognizable prophesies that haven't happened yet.  But here is a verse that you could use to make it seem as if it was imminent.

Revelation 16:12-13(NKJV)

12Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 

13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

Take a look at this map. 

What's going on between Israel and Iran right now?  If Iran wanted to attack Israel what would they have to do?  They'd have to cross the Euphrates.  In his book Epicenter, Joel Rosenberg suggests that as he reads Ezekiel 38 and 39, he believes it will be Russia and Iran joining forces to attack Israel in the Battle of Armageddon.  As you can see from the map, both of them will have to cross the Euphrates.  Is this the preparing for the way of the kings of the east that Scripture is talking about?  Can you see how someone could use what is happening today to make it seem like it is time?  Interesting isn't it?

This is just one example of how people sometimes take Scripture out of context in my opinion and why it is so vital that we read Scripture for ourselves.  And then we need to listen to the Holy Spirit for discernment.  And above all be observant to what is going on in the world because even though I don't believe the time is near, if I see in the news that the Euphrates River has suddenly dried up, I'll know that the thief in the night is on His way and I'll be ready.  How about you?