The Secret of Success!

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 4:1-11

Many have the habit of sleeping with their Bible under their pillow! They think the Bible is a lucky charm to ward off bad dreams and give sound sleep. Some carry the Bible with them everywhere they go, thinking it will bring them success. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines and encamped beside Ebenezer. The Philistines had encamped in Aphek. And Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men that day. So, the people of Israel wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh into the battlefield so that it may save them from the hands of their enemies!

They were beginning to look at the Ark of the Covenant as sort of a charm to get victory over the Philistines! The Ark was the representation of God's throne in Israel. Instead of getting right with God, the Israelites set about devising superstitious means of securing victory. They might have been saved if they had only humbled themselves, repented of their ways, and prayed fervently for success!

It is a lesson for us today.

We think of a thousand things to do but neglect the one crucial thing of enthroning God in our lives. It means making Christ Jesus the Lord of our whole life. It means living in obedience to Him alone, seeking to do His will in everything. We know God is greater and deserves our submission. Yet, we often resist God.

Knowledge was not the problem for the people of Israel, but submission to God was. We can make any good thing an idol. There was nothing wrong with the Ark by itself. Yet, we can make even a good thing like the Ark an idol, and God will not tolerate our idols.

My friend, God gave Joshua the secret of success in Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success”. In this New Year, let us commit to spending more time at the feet of the Lord so that we, too, can have success!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to obey Your Word in every way in this New Year so that I can see and enjoy success. Amen.