“The Secret of Success”

Matt 11:28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to know the future? You would know what stocks to pick and when to sell. Wow, wouldn’t you have liked to known how successful Apple or Google or Microsoft was going to be so you could have “bought in” when it was cheap. On the ground floor – how cool that would have been.  Well we see in this little snapshot the formula for a successful service in God’s kingdom. Herein is contained all you need to know about the steps to take to end up with a guaranteed end result. Now often in this life do you get that kind of guarantee? Mathematically speaking, the formula has three addends and a sum.

1. “Come”

He calls us today by the gospel. But we must respond to his invitation. So our first step on the road to success is to “come” rather to go to Jesus. And, interestly, He refuses none – John 6:37b “and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” We could speak about the leper, the Canaanite woman, the woman with an issue of blood, and so many more. So just come, bring what you have and prepare for the second step.

2. “Take”

Okay, this step is a little bit more difficult, because we must accept that there is a yoke, a burden if you will. But, by comparison to what the deceiver burdens us with, Jesus’ “yoke is easy and his burden is light”

3. “Learn…”

“…of me.” In John 14:8-9a we find an interesting exchange, “Philip said unto him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us.’ Jesus said unto him, ‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?’” In order to learn of Jesus we must spend time, in particular the Gospels, learning about him. We know that Paul tells Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”(II Tim 2:15)

So therein we know the importance of being studious, like the Bereans.

4. “Find” – which is the sum

So there it is: come + take + learn = find. Could it be any simpler? Not in concept, but perhaps in application – not due to the formula which is perfect, but due to our own weakness. So often we “come” but for whatever reason it is the taking and learning we seem to resist. And, because we resist, we continue to struggle. I dare say that the level of our faithfulness is in direct proportion to the level of taking and learning. The more we take and learn, the more we find.

God is on the edge of his seat, ready for you to give Him a faithful opportunity to bless you. His hand is not shortened that it cannot save – Isaiah 59:1. Remember the feeding of 5000? Where in John 6:6 the bible said, “And this Jesus said to prove Philip: for Jesus knew what he would do.”

• You may not know:

o how to get across the Red Sea, but God does.

o how you will defeat the giants of the land, but God does.

o how to get through the wilderness to the Promised Land, but God does.

o how you will rekindle lost love, but God does.

o how to deal with your sin problems, but God does.

o how you will repair relationships, but God does.

You may not know the how, and you may not know the when, and you may not even understand the why – but you serve the Almighty God who does. He knows tomorrow better than you know yesterday. Listen to Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

The opportunity for us is that the solution to success is mapped by a faithful Father and is, in concept, simply stated by Jesus. So the challenge for us is trusting the Master; that if we come, take, and learn – we will find. So, what will we find … ultimately rest. And, rest is the product of peace that we receive by grace and mercy. So take comfort my friends for, His yoke is easy and his burden is light and as we learn more about Him, we can become more like him …

JerryLowry

Dreams, Success, and Priority

Growing up I always wanted to be something great.  I wanted to accomplish awesome things that many would think to be astonishing goals.  I remember fondly practicing my juke moves on the invisible linebacker at the fifty yard line which was my grandma’s front yard.  I remember hitting a racquetball over the house across the street and thinking how my skill would equate to hitting a ball over the fence at Wrigley.

I was still dreaming big dreams when I graduated high school.  The dreams changed as I focused more on what I would do with my life.  Instead of standing in front of thousands of adoring fans while holding the Heisman, I turned my thoughts to the huge corporate office that awaited me after I received my diploma.  As we all know, most dreams do not come to fruition and most plans never materialize like we would wish.

Now sitting close to the age of 30, many of my dreams have changed yet again.  I no longer wish to work for a fortune five hundred company.  I realize there are more important things to seek after than wealth or popularity.  There are loftier goals that I should be aiming towards.  One day I hope to be a good father.  I aspire to be a loving and supportive husband to my wife Jana.  Most of all I hope to serve God in a manner that is pleasing in his sight.

When we are young, we see the pedestals that athletes, movie stars, and singers are placed on.  Naturally we grow up thinking that they are the perfect picture of success.  As we get older, we start understanding the importance of the dollar in our society.  We search long and hard for a way to make money because our society measures success by how much stuff we have.  It is easy to fall into this trap of measuring our lives on material things.

In the end our success will not be measured in silver and gold.  Our achievement scale will not be weighted down by our popularity or athletic skill.  Instead, our success will be measured by how committed we are to God.  We will see the good we have done by building our families on the sturdy foundations of God’s word.  Our success will be shared by those who we influenced to trust in God’s word and obey his commands. While many of the dreams we dream growing up are usually unachievable, an eternal life in heaven is a goal that is in our reach.  If we strive to serve our Father and put him first in our lives, he has promised to provide for our needs and give us an everlasting life with him.

The world does its best to influence us to put other things before our God. Satan will trick us into thinking that our jobs and families should come before our God.  So we must examine ourselves daily to see where God ranks in our lives.  We must strive to make God our number one and let everything else fall into place.  So I leave with this question today, what priority level does God have in your life today?

³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt 6:32-33 (KJV)

Noah Hall