Everyone wants to be a success.  Many people spend their entire lives trying to be a success, but
never seem to make it.  Well today we are going to learn how to be a success.  First let’s define
success.  Success is the progressive realization of a predetermined goal.    In order to be a success
we must first know what the goal is.  In Phillipians 3:14 Paul states who his predetermined goal is,
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  The
Westminster Confession of Faith states that “the cheif end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him
forever.”  Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  God has given us a
predetermined goal and that is to please God.  In order to please God we must be holy even as He
is holy.  We need to be without blame.  We can only be without blame through the forgiveness
found in our Lord Jesus Christ.  Eph 2:13,14 & 1:7 .

Once we are saved and have our sins confessed then we are able to press on toward the goal of
glorifying God through our actions.  Ephesians 6:6,7 “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers: but as
the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;  With good will doing service, as to
the Lord, and not to men.”  Our lives need to be lived with the correct Goal a heavenly goal.
Instead of focusing on the things of earth and the praise of men we need to focus on heaven and
the praise of God.  Colossians 3:2, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the
earth.”  Our focus must be on things above.  Pleasing God must be our goal.  If we put God first
then true happiness follows.  We are a success if we are in the will of God doing His will.
Because each day we are progressively realizing our predetermined goal of pleasing God.
Colossians 3:23,24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord
Christ.”  These two verses have a lot of things that can help us be a success.  First there is a test
of the things we do.  When we are doing something or about to do something we need to ask can
I do this whole heartedly as unto the Lord.  If the answer is no, we should not probably do it then.
If we can then that is a good sign that we can continue on.  The next thing we see is who we truly
serve is not our boss, our teachers, our parents, whomever.  The truth is we are really serving the
Lord.  So if we are doing dishes we need to do them to the Lord, which means to the best of our
abilities.  If we are working at our job we should do our best and not satisfice.  Because God is
who we are really serving and not our boss.  At school we need to study and learn and apply
ourselves, not for the teachers sake, but to please God.  God is the one who we really serve.
When we have the right perspective we tend to enjoy more our daily lives.  We need to live life in
light of eternity.  Get our eyes off of the praise of man and onto the things of God.  Off of the
trials of life and on to the blessings of heaven.  Off of the criticism of people and on to the
forgiveness and love in Christ Jesus.  We serve God and not people so let’s serve God whole
heartedly in everything we do.    The next thing we see in these verses is that God gives us our
reward.  Hebrews 11:6 speaks of our reward.  God rewards those who diligently seek Him and
serve Him.  When we do everything to His honor and Glory, He rewards us for our obedience.

Obedience is doing the will of God.  Obedience to God makes us a success.

With obedience comes promises, new possibilities, and eventually perfection.  John 14:13-15  Our
prayers will be answered when we love God and keep His commandments.  That is an awesome
promise.  Another promise is the friendship of Christ.  John 15:13,14  Jesus Christ gives us the
promise of friendship and He laid down His life for us.  John 15:16 we are ordained to bring forth
fruit that remains and that comes through obedience.  And notice the promise to answer our
prayers is there again.  We can have what we want if we obey God.  Romans 8:29 we are
predestinated to be conformed to the image of God.  The process of obedience leads us to reflect
God.  Even as refined gold reflects light, we begin to reflect God and people see His image in us.

From promises comes new possibilities.  If we get what we pray for then we have the power of
God behind us, in us and through us.  Romans 8:31 if and He is God is for us who can be against
us and the answer is no one.  Inside the will of God we have the power of God working with us.
The new possibility of getting things accomplished to the glory of God exists.

Finally from obedience comes perfection the Bible tells us when we see Him we shall be like Him
for we shall see Him as He is.  We will eventually be perfect.  Our eternal home in heaven has
nothing put love, joy, and peace.  Heaven is perfect even as its residents are.  And we are made
perfect through the Blood of Christ.

In conclusion, if we want to truly be a success we must be obedient to God and pursue our
predetermined goal of glorifying God with our lives.  Someday we will be rewarded for our
obedience.  And each day we will progressively realize our goal which means we are a success if
we obey the Lord our God.

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