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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Deuteronomy 5-6
Mark 16

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (CSB): “Be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. Follow the whole instruction the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

The exciting promise of prosperity in Deuteronomy 5:32-33 isn’t an anomaly. It appears in other places in Scripture as well.

Deuteronomy 6:3 (CSB): “Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper …”

Joshua 1:7-8 (CSB): “Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.”

Jeremiah 7:23 (CSB): “However, I did give them this command: ‘Obey me, and then I will be your God, and you will be my people. Follow every way I command you so that it may go well with you.'”

1 Timothy 4:8 (CSB): “For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Long story short, God says that if His people obey Him, He will bless them; if they disobey Him, they will forego blessings and, instead, receive a curse (see Deuteronomy 28).

Let’s ensure we understand what God is saying by looking specifically at the promise God made to Joshua. He told Joshua in Joshua 1:7-8 that if he obeyed God’s Word completely, he would prosper and succeed wherever he went.

Does that mean that whatever Joshua desired to do would be a success as long as he was obeying God’s law? Does that mean that Joshua could use God for his own personal gain by obeying God and seeking his (Joshua’s) own success and prosperity?

Of course not.

If Joshua obeyed God’s Word and wanted the promise of God’s success, then (using New Testament language) Joshua had to “be about (his) Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He had to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The scope of Joshua’s success and prosperity was within the parameters of what God willed for him to do.

In other words, as long as Joshua was obedient to the Lord and His Word, God would bless Joshua as he was doing what God had called him to do. But there were no such guarantees for prosperity and success in other spheres of Joshua’s life.

How does this work for New Testament believers? Ultimately, it means that God has blessed us in ways we cannot fathom if we are trusting in Jesus to make us right in God’s eyes. But even beyond that, God will continue to bless us as we live a life of obedience to Him. Of course, God is the one who defines what “success” means.

After all, if we look to Jesus and see how He was maligned by religious leaders, betrayed by Judas, abandoned by His apostles, and nailed to a cross, would we call that “success” and “prosperity?” If we look at it from Heaven’s eyes, we would! God used all of the injustice and tragedy that happened to Jesus to bring about our redemption as we trust in Him.

So, refuse to define what “success” or “prosperity” looks like in your eyes. Instead, let God determine how He defines those terms. Simply obey His Word and rest in His promises of success and prosperity. Let Him determine what that looks like for you. If you are following Him and bad things happen to you, trust that He is defining success differently than you, and it will all make sense when you arrive in your Heavenly home.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you realize that God wants to reward your obedience.
  • Ask God to point out areas of your life where you are not obedient. Then, repent and strive for obedience.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what the Bible says about “success,” consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about success?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)