To cast a biblical vision for true success, we begin by laying a foundation of biblical knowledge for true success. To do that, we need to look no further than Joshua 1:8, which says,
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
When we do a word study on the word success, what we find is that the phrase “have success” is one word in the Hebrew and could also be translated as “acts wisely.” In other words, there is a more robust understanding for the phrase “have success” in the English translation, and it points us to acting wisely. We understand this practically, and when we tie acting wisely to meditating upon God’s Word, we find that the two go hand in hand. So, the first step in laying a biblical vision for true success is to see that the acting wisely is the knowledge needed to be successful.
The next question is, why does this matter? To answer that question, we are getting at the second aspect of gaining a biblical vision, and that is to seek understanding. As previously mentioned, understanding makes the connections of information. In the case of true success, we may “know” that we should act wisely to be truly successful, but “why should we do this?” is the bigger question.
There are two components that point us to a biblical understanding for true success and answer why we should “act wisely.” The first is Proverbs 10:14, which says, “Wise men store up knowledge, but with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.” This verse helps us understand that the opposite of wisdom is foolishness, and the end of the foolish is ruin. So, to act wisely then is to avoid ruin. The second aspect is found in Psalm 53:1, which says, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” they are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; there is no one who does good.” Once again, we see “fool” mentioned, and this time we understand that his heart reveals his view of God. The one who does not act wisely is the one who does not believe there is a God. His desire then is to not please God, nor to act wisely but instead to walk in his own way. Which, when we tie the idea of person walking in their own way to Proverbs 10:14, we see that the end is destruction.
Thus, a biblical understanding of true success is found by examining the end of a fool and the reason why a fool is a fool. Number one, the end is ruin, and number two, he is a fool because he is an atheist. This point leads us to our third aspect of seeking a biblical vision for true success, and that is how is one to walk wisely. To put in in the negative and tying it to biblical understanding, how does one not end in ruin and walk as a practical atheist?
We find the answer to this question in Psalm 1:1-3, which says,
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”
The Psalmist writes here that the one who bears fruit in season and casts shade through his leaves remaining intact is the one who views God’s Word in a certain way and orders his life around it. To lay the foundation for biblical wisdom, we must see how we are to live, and this passage tells us. The one who “walks wisely” or “has success” is the one who meditates upon God’s Word day and night. How else will a person know how to live with biblical wisdom and ultimately have true success?
To sum up, the biblical knowledge, understanding, and wisdom foundation for gaining a biblical vision for true success is found by realizing that success is a lifestyle of walking wisely, not as a fool who practically denies God, but rather one who is yielded to God and who finds delight in His Word. God’s Word, then, is the foundation for a biblical vision of true success and it sets any Christian up for walking wisely or having true success.
Next chapter, we’ll examine what a biblical vision is for leadership.
— October 21, 2021