In Joshua 1:7, we learn that after the death of Moses, the new leader of Israel was instructed by the Lord’s angel about how to lead the people. After telling Joshua what he was to do, the angel said, “Then you shall have good success.” That is, God wanted Joshua to be successful. He told him so! However, like everything else, Satan has perverted God’s definition of success by making money and material possessions the standard by which our society measures success.
In Luke 16:19-31, we learn of a rich man who had great material possessions, and a poor man who had almost nothing. The rich man died, was buried, and was immediately in tormenting flames so severe that he begged for the relief that one drop of water would provide. All his riches and material possessions were gone.
The poor man died, but the Bible doesn’t say he was buried, it just says he “was carried by the angels” to Abraham’s side where he was comforted.
For the rich man, all his riches were gone. For the poor man, all his miseries were gone. Now who was the most successful?!
The reason Jesus gives us the account of these two men is so we can learn that genuine success in this life does not reside in the wealth one has, or doesn’t have. It resides in one’s relationship to God.
We will spend four years in college preparing to be successful in this life for about 50 years. But how much time are we spending in preparation to be successful in eternity?
Under the NT Law, we would interpret Joshua 1:7, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the Law of Christ; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have success wherever you go.” –Toby Miller
Find the truth about God and become a New Testament Christian. Find out more about New Testament Christianity by running some Internet searches for “church of Christ” and “churches of Christ.” You may also want to visit http://www.abiblecommentary.com for Bible study information.
Remember, in order to be saved and enjoy all God’s blessings (not the least of which is salvation), a person must have faith (Jn. 8:24), be willing to repent (Lk. 13:3), and after confessing Christ as Lord, the final step is water baptism (Rom. 6:3; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 3:20-21). Proper baptism in water puts a person “into Christ” (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3) and results in the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).