Four Choices That Can Change Your Life

Anyone who is working toward something meaningful desires and prays for success. Success has its merits, and Scripture talks about God's desire to make our way prosperous and bless people with good success.

"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 good success."
– Joshua 1:8 ESV

Good success. Sounds like a tautology, doesn't it? Like "past history" or "added bonus". Isn't it true that success is always good? Or could the Scriptures be making a distinction and pointing to the possible pitfalls of success?

Even if we argue that success itself does not have any downsides, we can all certainly admit that our hearts can often fall in the many adjacent traps that tend to come along success.

Who has not seen the person trapped in pride because of their success? Could greed also come along the joys of success? Can success open the door to lust?

Maybe success merely makes it easier for those things to flourish. Whatever the case, when David became King of Israel he made four choices that were fundamental in him experiencing God's promise for good success.

• David chose Reputation:

Scripture says in Proverbs that a good name is to be desired above silver and gold. David could have taken the kingdom by force. He was a better warrior, he had greater popularity, he had more talent, and was smarter than his predecessor, Saul. But David was not driven by his lust for success, rather, he chose to live above reproach. And it was because of his reputation that he was chosen by the elders of the people, and anointed by God, to succeed Saul.

If your drive for success costs you your reputation, you already lost the plot. Choose a good name above success, add some hard work to it, and God will get you there.

• David chose God's Presence:

The first thing David did after becoming king and uniting the kingdoms of Judah and Israel was to bring the Ark Of The Covenant back to Jerusalem. He placed the presence of God at the center of civic life. Not just rules and the law, but the presence; worship, community, sacrifice, and prayer.

We can live with the notion of God, the rules of God, fully convinced of His existence and His power, and still miss His presence. Choose God's presence daily through consecration and devotion, and you will find pleasure in what matters most.

• David chose Humility :

As they were bringing the Ark Of The Covenant, David led the procession dressed not as the opulent king, but as the humble minister. A simple garment of linen, in ivory color, that looked like a long shirt. It was not kingly. What was David doing? He was humbling himself before the Lord.

For every new step of good success you achieve, choose humility. Get on your knees. Acknowledge God and others. Make sure all glory goes to the one who enabled you to achieve, and give credit where credit is due. Don't take praise, but rather give it.

• David chose Generosity :

Scripture says that after the Ark reached Jerusalem, David blessed the people and gave every person in Israel a portion of meat, a loaf of bread, and a cake of figs. He was very generous. At this moment in your life, if your budget does not allow for generosity, I want to challenge you to make some adjustments.

If you are consuming everything you are producing, you are living outside of God's model for humanity. Be generous on purpose. Make room in your budget to bless your neighbors, to bless strangers, and to bless your local church. As your income rises, don't increase your expenses without also increasing your generosity budget. Choose to be generous, and you will see God work through you in ways you have never seen before.

If you do these 4 things consistently, I believe, like David, you too will experience good success and avoid future regrets.