Joshua 1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips. You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful.
Matthew 13:22–23 The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
“If you would just read the instructions…”
Why is it, for many of us, that looking at instructions seems like a last resort? I’ve built a few sets of furniture in my life. Sometimes I closely follow the instructions and other times I don’t. I have never gone to bed and woke up the next morning meditating on the manufacturer’s plans on how to build a desk or bookcase. God’s instructions are different but how often do we treat them like we do other instructions in our lives? God does have a plan for life that is truly successful and prosperous. He gives us means to that end and a path to follow to reach His goals.
How do we understand success and failure? What pressures in my life might be keeping me from bearing fruit according to God’s standards of success? What might be God’s solutions and instructions? How can I relate true prosperity to someone else? How can I promote healthy growth in my family, friends, or others whom God has brought into my life?
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved