Be successful! Be more prosperous than you have ever dreamed! If you’ll call this toll-free number right now, we’ll let you in on a surefire way to make that much money in your spare time. For an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars, you can get in on the ground level of this fast-developing business that will make you independently wealthy, with a steady flow of cash. Be successful! Call now.

     Such wild promises seem too good to be true. Yet people still risk their hard earned money on such deals. Some people will invest large sums of money in the hope of being successful. What a great desire we have to be successful. To be a success, to prosper, means different things to different people. To one person, having a certain amount of money is the sign of success. To another person, having friends is a sign of success. To yet another person, being a good parent is the sign of success. To another person, prosperity, success, is achieved by being outstanding in what they do, whether that be on stage, or in sports, or in some other endeavor.

     The problem with many desires for success is that they can be so hard to reach. And then we keep moving the goalposts. If money is a person’s definition of success, after achieving what he or she thought would be successful, suddenly a higher amount, like what someone else has, is needed. For the person in sports, one goal is reached. But then that doesn’t satisfy for long, and the next goal is what is necessary for success. “If I could just get on the team.” Then, “If I could just get on the starting lineup.” Then, “If my batting average were higher...” and on it goes. For so many people, success, however defined, just always seems to be out of reach. They’re unsatisfied.

     But amazingly, there is a surefire way to be a success at something that is of the utmost importance. Listen to what God says: “Just as the rain and the snow come down from Heaven and do not return there until they water the earth and make it bud and flourish and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so is My Word which goes out from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty until it does what I delight in, and is successful/prospers in what I sent it to do.” (Isaiah 55:10, 11)

     Whenever God sends the rain, something is going to grow. Things “bud and flourish” when it rains. The farmer knows. The gardener knows. It rains, something grows. The rain is very effective at making things grow on earth. God’s Word is as effective as God’s rain. They are both successes. “God’s Word does not return to Him until it has done what God delights in, and is successful in what it was sent to do.” God sends His Word to work faith in people’s hearts. God sends His Word to make people alive in Christ. His Word is successful.

     God sends His Word through you. God brings people to faith as you love people to Jesus. Here’s how it works. There is a critical event for someone to come to faith. The critical event is when one person tells another person that God loves them so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die to pay for our sins. Often the opportunity to do that comes as we develop relationships with people, and serve them, helping them as we can. In general, just love people however we can. Our love shows the love of Jesus. But the critical event is critical. We have to tell them the good news about Jesus. That’s God’s Word and it is powerful. It is successful. Always successful! God’s Word does not return until it does what God delights in. (He delights in people being saved.) God’s Word does not return until it is successful.

     Does that mean that every time I tell someone about Jesus they’ll be brought to faith? No. The rain always makes things grow. But not everything grows that the rain hits. When the rain hits cement, nothing grows. When God’s Word comes to hard hearts, nothing grows, though God’s Word can also soften the hard soil of a person’s heart. But as the rain saturates the earth and makes it sprout and grow and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so is God’s Word. It does what God delights in, and is successful in what God sent it to do. It can’t miss. You keep telling people the good news about Jesus, and God’s Word will work.         

     Keep watering. Keep telling people about Jesus. You will be successful. God’s Word will produce faith. But not in every person. Jesus talked about the seed landing on the path, on the rocky ground, amongst the thorns, and in the good soil. When we tell people the Good News about Jesus, sometimes it will be like seed on a hard-packed road. Jesus says in those cases, the evil one comes and snatches the seed from their heart. Satan is still active in the world. Sometimes when you tell someone about Jesus, it’s like the seed sown in the rocky area. And the faith sprouts quickly here because there’s not much soil, not much depth. And we rejoice at the great joy that someone has in Jesus. But then when difficulty comes, they are offended and leave the faith. And we’re grieving, but Jesus had told us that will happen. Sometimes we tell people the good news about Jesus and it’s like sowing seed amongst the weeds. And the cares of the world grow up, those weeds of the deceitfulness of riches choke out the faith. But be of good cheer. Sometimes when we tell the good news about Jesus, it’s like seed falling on good ground. And the faith that God’s Word produces in their hearts produces fruit, good works, in various multiples.

     Do you want to be a success? Would you like to prosper? Don’t count success by how much money you make. When you get to heaven, you won’t care how much money you made on earth. Don’t measure success by how well you’re known, or what kind of influence you have. The only way you can be a success in things that last (eternal things last) is by telling people the good news about Jesus. God’s Word will do what God sent it to do. God’s Word will be successful. Our success is always because of what Jesus has done! He has conquered sin and death. We will be successful in going to heaven because He has given us faith. You are a success because of Jesus. Love people to Jesus, and God’s word will be a success in bringing people to faith.

July 10, 2005

Be Successful!

Scripture references: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23     

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