By Publisher
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
Over the years, motivational speakers and authors have given us numerous principles of success. We’ve been told countless things we need to do and things we must discontinue doing if we want to be successful.
By human reasoning, most of the recommendations have some logical validity. However, it takes a lot to remember the numerous success tips, let alone apply them. And considering that every success expert claims that his/her tips have been applied by others with measurable success, that adds more pressure on the readers/listeners, which then results in frustration when one cannot sustain the tips.
God is the Creator of us all. In addition to us, He also instituted success, prosperity, healthiness and other material/emotional states we desire. God has His own idea as to what we should do to attain success. And it is interesting to note that His requirements are not far-fetched. They are unbelievably simple, perhaps, that is why we often do not give them a thought; as they sound just too simple to be true.
The passage above gives us an insight into the mind of God concerning success and prosperity. God did not require that you do some rigorous routine to be successful. All He demands is to keep His laws constantly in our mouths, in our minds, and in our conduct. He then affirms that it is by so doing that we will prosper and have good success.
His describing the kind of success you will have as “good” means that there is bad success – the kind of success that is not sustainable and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the successful. I want the kind of success He can deliver. What about you?
The pursuit of success and prosperity has led many into subscribing to career or professional paths that run contrary to their natural strength and divine gifting. So many people have chosen perceived high-profile professions with the aim of gaining wealth and fame thereby. But this has often proved counter-productive, as they neither found happiness nor success in what they do. Instead, frustration sums up their days and clouds the joy they could have derived from doing what they were made for.
Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief that you have to do certain businesses or practise certain professions to be prosperous, the passage above tells us God says what needs to be done is to keep the words of His covenant. In other words, He is saying, keep the terms He spelt out in His engagements with our forbears in the Bible, both in the old and new testaments, then you will be prosperous – irrespective of what you do as a career or business!
God has declared that silver and gold are His, the same with the earth and all that exists on it. And whoever He pleases He blesses with the resources of the earth, irrespective of the person’s race or vocation.
For emphasis, God-given prosperity does not depend on what you do. To God, the job or business you do is immaterial, as He can bless anything, no matter how menial, as long as it is legal and not injurious to the wellbeing of others. God can make a meagre vocation a high-income earner. The key is to be engaged in doing something, not staying idle, and to diligently keep His rules for living. That way, your prosperity is sure.
Success experts and motivational speakers have also told us that success is a function of location. Perhaps, this is true, but that is to the extent that such location refers to an intangible one, as against a physical environment. Because in the passage above, God tells us that He will prosper whoever observes His laws and strictly adheres to them, anywhere such a person is!
That tells us that God-given prosperity is not a function of place, but a consequence of unflinching commitment to the word of God. Perhaps, this can be a turnaround for the millions of people who desire to leave their country of origin in search of greener pastures in another country. Your prosperity is not determined by your physical environment, your prosperity is determined by your inclination to the word of God.
If you channel all the energy you devote to pursuing means to check out of your country to studying and applying the counsel of God, you would see a significant improvement in your bottom line. Now, that assurance is premised on nothing else but the integrity of the word of God alone.
It does not cost God anything to bless you. Oftentimes, we are the ones restraining His hand with our half-hearted devotion to Him. He vouches that He will prosper whoever observes His law wherever he/she goes. This shows that the prosperity of such a person will not be a function of his/her physical location, but a result of his/her commitment to God’s word.
