We all want to be successful, but sometimes we just don’t know how to get there. God has given us a manual for this life called THE BIBLE. So much wisdom and just for us. What a wonderful and loving God we serve!

Anyway, back to success. God’s given us the formula for success. And here it is:

Joshua 1: 8

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.

How’s that for a promise!  So, let’s take a look at it part by part.

First step: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth.  I don’t know what the experts say about this verse, but to me it means don’t ignore God’s Word. So, the first part of the formula is to read God’s Word.

Second step: meditate on it day and night. Meditate simply means to think about it–a lot. So, don’t just read the Bible, but think about it day and night until you come to understand God’s message.

Third step: so that you may be careful to do everything in it. So, it’s not enough to read it, then think about it. We need to do what God tells us to do. Another verse in the New Testament tells us not to be listeners only but to be doers of the Word. God has given us all that we need to know to be successful in this life, but if we only read it and think about it, it won’t do us any good. We have to follow God’s instructions.

And as the promise says if we do the three steps, Then you will be prosperous and successful. It doesn’t say we might be prosperous and successful. Instead it ways we WILL be prosperous and successful.

What a wonderful promise!

Of course living the first three steps is not always easy, but God promises it will be worth it if we endure!

One other interesting thing about this verse is that it says prosperous and successful–meaning that prosperous is not the same as successful. I think that’s something we tend to forget these days. So many of us view success only in monetary terms, but that’s not really true. God sees them as separate entities. I don’t think we can be truly successful until we understand that success isn’t about prosperity but about so much more–good health–good relationships–enjoying the life God’s given us.

SHARING TIME: WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS? WHAT DO YOU NEED OR ALREADY HAVE THAT MAKES YOU SUCCESSFUL?