“Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou went, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.” 2 Samuel 7:8-9 (KJV)
David was nearing the end of his life; and the prophet Nathan was responding to David’s idea to build a temple where the Ark of the Covenant would stay. God was reminding David through the prophet, Nathan, of his roots and where He had brought him from. God took David from the fields of pasturing sheep to being the Leader of a nation. He also reminded David that He had cut off all of David’s enemies for his sake and the sake of his nation. David never lost a battle; he was what we call today ‘very successful’.
Have you ever felt tempted to look at your accomplishments with pride as if you were the reason for your success?Have you been tempted to think that your prosperity was due to your ingenuity? Has your material success been a testimony to others that God is the ruler of all aspects of your life, even the material side? Or, do you say, as my Pastor Brenda Patterson says at the end of her texts and emails, “All about God! In Him-For Him To Him”
The greatest temptation for many people is the pride of ownership. If we think our success is a result of our own effort we offend God and open the door to pride, just as Satan did before he was thrown out of Heaven.
“A man’s pride shall bring him low: But honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Proverbs 29:23 (KJV)
After becoming a Christian, I was on my way to church one Friday evening, in the process I passed a club and said to myself, “Look at all those people going in and out of that club, they could be on their way to a church revival like me.”
At once I heard God say to me, “If it wasn‘t for My grace, you would still be doing the same thing.” From that day forward, I stopped taking credit for any successes in my life.
Success can be a greater test than any adversity you may face. It as been said that not every man can carry a full cup, a sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall; and the most exacting test of all to survive is prosperity.
Success can be a breeding ground for complacency with God and pride of ownership.
Do you really understand who you are and where your successes come from? Do you understand that it is God who has given you the ability to work and achieve?
God is the true source of all good things. Does your life reflect this belief?
Good Things to Consider: There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.
Accept challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. Excellence is not a skill; it is an attitude.
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. If you want to standout, don’t be different; be outstanding.
Change is difficult but often essential to survival. Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Boldness has God, His power and His Love in it.
Proper planning can save you your most precious asset–your time. Proper planning can save you money; make your life easier, less frustrating and more fun.
