HOW TO HAVE A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
Joshua 1:6-9 “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moss my servant commanded thee:- turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of they 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 they way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
The context of this passage is very familiar. Joshua and the people of God stand on the very verge of Jordan ready to enter into the promised land. A whole new generation is about to venture into what is to them the unknown. But clearly their future is already known to God and their success or failure is predictable. Although it is His heart’s desire is to bless them in the new land, His blessings will be conditional. They must meet some very basic criteria of they are to live victoriously in the days ahead. If they meet these conditions they are promised physical and spiritual prosperity and good success.
Can we just as surely expect success? What is success as a Christian? How can it be achieved? His God given us a formula or a set of Godly guidelines to ensure we can prosper and be successful Christians in the days and weeks ahead?
In recent years there has been a plethora of publications purporting to present a sure fire plan for prosperity and success. The central theme of all these seems to be that life is very simple and all we have to do to succeed in life is to follow a few basic and simple rules that everyone else seems to overlook. We have books on how to win friends and influence others or how to become a millionaire in so many easy lessons. But someone has said the simplest way to be come successful is to write a book about" how to" that will be gobbled up by the millions of insecure people in the world who seem to be always saying there must be more to life than this. These same masses are those who also seem to equate success with sensual pleasure, financial prosperity, worldly prominence and personal popularity.
But our subject deals with more practical things today. The theme might be stated as, "How to succeed as a Christian without really trying." The statement of this proposition brings two questions immediately to mind. First, "What is a successful Christian?" Second, "How can you do anything, without trying."
For the sake of definition, we will assume that we Christians view the successful Christian life as that life which is wholly and completely within the will of God. That life which coincides more nearly with the standard God gives us in His written Word that reflects the Living Word. The life referred to by Paul and John could correctly be assumed to be that life. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him:." (Col. 2:6) "For me to live is Christ.." (Phil. 1:21) "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." (I John 2:6) The successful Christian life would be what the word Christian implies, "A life like Jesus’ life."
Second, we will also assume that Christians accept the proposition that there is nothing lasting we can do that will be worthwhile both here and in eternity, outside the guidance and power of the Spirit of God. We will also assume that the very essence of faith is the idea of an absolute trust and reliance upon the Spirit of God. Not only to save us eternally, but to powerfully and spiritually enable any effort that is acceptable and worthwhile in God’s service. In light of these givens, trying in the ordinary sense of that term, would be precluded if we are to seek real and lasting spiritual prosperity. Based upon these principles our life becomes harmonious with the life of Christ; inasmuch as such a life is designed to glorify God our Father.
Here are some keys to be a success as a Christian without really trying. These keys come from the most valuable and best selling book of all times. Notice each key is introduced with the phrase, "Let God.."
LET GOD SAVE YOU. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is focused upon convicting and wooing the lost and pointing them to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me." John 12:32) And, "And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" (John 16:8) Anyone wishing to succeed in this life and the life to come must abandon the concept of self-help as taught in most of the world’s philosophies and religions. They must let go and let God do the saving.
True repentance is also a vital part of real conversion. Repentance means an about face and involves a complete renunciation of sin and a committal to a Godly life. So many miss the boat at this dock. Receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour is the obvious first step on the road to Christian success. Then scriptural progression leads immediately to accepting Him as Lord of one’s life. If one is to measure success by the standard of God, the immediate response will be an open confession and baptism.
All of this should lead to giving ourselves wholeheartedly and without reservation to the service of the Lord. To placing ourselves as a piece of clay in the hands of the Master Potter to mould and make us after His will. Paul said it this way, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Ro. 12:1-2)
Complete committal can only be confirmed by a constant and continuing all out effort in serving the Lord by the power of His Spirit. I had the privilege of playing gridiron football in High School. One lesson I learned was the value of consistent effort. We could make mistakes on the field of play and be forgiven and still play. But let the coach determine that someone was not giving one hundred percent all the time, and he would pull that player off the field in a flash. If we are to succeed in the eyes of God we must be those who are saved and committed to the long haul, "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
LET GOD SECURE AND SEAL YOU, IF YOU WOULD SUCCEED AS A CHRISTIAN. Many who say they have trusted Jesus for salvation and who call themselves Christians , struggle with a fear of losing their eternal salvation. They see God as an Indian Giver. The seem to think one can be saved today and lost tomorrow and saved again the next day. They do not understand that in order to be saved again, if one could lose his salvation, Jesus would have to come again to earth and live out the gospel once more; dying on the cross the second time and rising again from the grave. What an insult to God who gave His only begotten Son once and for all for our sins.
Surely we can trust the power of the God Who saved us to keep us. "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Peter 1:5) Surely we can trust the Spirit Who convicted us of our sins and converted us to complete the job of eternal salvation. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Phil. 1:6) Surely we can trust the seal of that Holy Spirit to be unbreakable. "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Eph. 4:30)
It would be difficult for a person to succeed as a Christian who is holding onto God with one hand and trying to serve Him with the other. If He has the whole world in His hand, why would one feel His grip is so slack or weak as to allow His beloved child to be snatched away from His hand? (See John 10:27-30) Do you remember the story of the tribe of native American Indians who are have done the steel work on some of the world’s tallest buildings? Why are they so successful? They not only have the required skills, but it seems that have a natural trust of their own ability and the ability of their brothers that allows them to walk freely on narrow beams hundreds of feet in the air. They succeed because they have trust. The true story of the safety net used in reducing the deaths in the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge illustrates the same criteria of success.
LET THE HOLY SPIRIT FILL AND CONTROL YOU, IF YOU WOULD SUCCEED AS A CHRISTIAN. The basis of this blessings comes with the gift of eternal life. Every true believer has all the Holy Spirit. But unfortunately not every believer allows the Holy Spirit to have all of him. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is simply being controlled by the Holy Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" (Eph. 4:30) This analogy implies the opposite of what some might think. It does not imply that being filled with the Holy Spirit would lead a person to act as if he is physically intoxicated. Quite the contrary. It does imply that if one is filled with the spirit He is under the complete control of the Spirit. We know the Spirit of God will not lead us to act foolishly, but to render sane, scriptural and sacrificial service unto the Lord.
Being filled with the Spirit has its ultimate expression and confirmation in such service. The story is told of a man coming to Moody and speaking of His spiritual success. He told Moody of how he felt and that he had been on a spiritual high and mountain top for years. The down to earth Moody looked him in the eye and bluntly asked him, "How many people have you led to the Lord on that mountain top." Of course, the man hung his head and walked away.
Another story is told of the little girl who attended a Sunday School in a soul winning Baptist Church who was accompanying her unbelieving parents on a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. As they stood in awe in the great cathedral, the little girl called out loudly, "I wonder how many people they had saved here last Sunday?" It is obvious that being controlled by the Spirit of God will lead to the bearing of real spiritual fruit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Gal. 5:22)
LET JESUS SHINE THROUGH YOUR LIFE , IF YOU WOULD SUCCEED AS A CHRISTIAN. This is part of our Saviour’s formula for Christian happiness. " Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:6) In this analogy it is obvious that He is the Son Who is the Light of the world and we are to be the spiritual satellites that reflect that Sonlight to the world. We do not have to speculate if we are doing this effectively. The world will let us know. "Men love darkness rather than light, for their deeds are evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." (John 3:19-20) If we let our light shine in our little corner of the world we can be sure that the spiritual discomfort of unbelievers around us will be apparent.
It is fair to say this analogy equates light energy to spiritual energy as well. The scientific magic of luminosity has always been intriguing. I remember the fascination that fire flies and glow worms held for me when I was a lad. When Iater more fully understood the principles of stored up light energy involved, I was even more awed by this manifestation of the greatness of God. We can store up the spiritual energy His Spirit gives us on the bright days for use in our darkest nights of trouble and tribulation.
LET GOD SPEAK TO YOU THROUGH SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES DAILY. Some would say, "You mean the Bible really does have the answers for the daily dilemmas of the Christian life in the 21st century?" Yes! It is the only reliable guide book for this terribly confused world in which we live. But as with any other guide book, it must be consulted in order to determine the right way. Much like those who are constantly buying new books on how to be successful, many Christians become so involved in studying books about the Bible and how to be a Christian, that they ignore the real source book for Christian success.
Do you remember the story of acres of diamonds? After wearily traveling over the wide, wide, world, the diamonds were discovered to be right under his nose all the time. Do you recall the story of Sutton’s mill and the California gold rush? The gold was right there all the time and it only took the destruction of the mill to expose it.
Why were the Bereans worthy of note? Why were they called more noble than others? They had found the secret of successful living in the scriptures they held in their hands daily. The information is there if we will seek it diligently and daily. Is it any wonder then that our Saviour said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39) If we wish to succeed in the Christ-like life the answer can only be found in the scriptures.
LET YOUR PRAYER BE WITHOUT CEASING, IF YOU WISH TO SUCCEED IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. This principle is so obvious it bears little explanation. If we are dependent upon the power and blessings of God, we must keep the lines of communication open to Him at all times. This can be seen even in earthly human relationships. Those parents who have not kept the lines of communication open in the early days and easier times, find it tremendously difficult to communicate when the tough times and trials of the teen years inevitably come. The same can be said of the relationship building of a husband and wife.
I am sure we have all heard of the man who, faced with a disaster, cried out to God, "Lord, you know I have not bothered you for twenty years and I promise you if you get me out of this I want bother year for twenty more." Such an ill informed and ineffective approach to God would be amusing if it was not all too true to life. Much better the approach of the small boy who was late for school. Hearing the bell ringing afar off and knowing they would be punished for their tardiness, one little boy fell down on his knees and started crying and praying. The other little boy broke into a run and shouted back over his shoulder, "I’m doing my praying while I’m running." Paul’s version of that principle is simply, "Pray without ceasing." (I Thess. 5:17
LET CHRIST’S LOVE FLOW THROUGH YOU, IF YOU WOULD SUCCEED AS A CHRISTIAN. One great man said, "The average life fails because it is too occupied with self." We should say, "Let the Adam in me perish." Since the essence of the Christ story is giving, the essence of the Christ-like life must be giving. Jesus said it all when He said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38) Even though this is often used in relation to financial or physical prosperity, an examination of the context indicates that the lesson is about the whole life.
Do recall Tolstoi’s story of the simple cobbler? He was reading his Bible and praying and he asked Christ to come to him. Expecting Him to answer, he awaited His response. Ultimately he understood that the widow with a child who needed help, the young boy who had done wrong and needed encouragement and a hungry beggar, were in fact the answer to His prayer. Of course, these were all opportunities to allow the love of Christ to shine through.
Remember the words of our Saviour? "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me." (Matt. 25:40-45)
And again, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35)
How to succeed as a Christian? How to really prosper in God’s will in the New Year? LET GOD SAVE YOU, KEEP YOU, FILL YOU, SHINE THROUGH YOU AND DAILY SPEAK TO YOU THROUGH HIS WORD. PRAY TO HIM AND LET HIS LOVE WORK THROUGH YOU.
