“David grew greater and greater, because Adonai the God of Armies was with him.”-2 Samuel 5:10
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become successful in life?
I’m sure every person on earth has asked themselves that question at one time or another.
They’ve looked at the Bill Gates, the Steve Jobs, and Michael Jordan’s of the world and have wondered, why them?
What was so special about them that they rose to achieve fame and fortune?
Of course, Gates, Jobs, and Jordan worked incredibly hard and made some smart decisions to achieve the success they did, not to mention they all possessed incredible talent in their respective fields.
Yet, many other people were just as talented, just as smart, worked just as hard, and never got anywhere close to the success these men achieved.
A whole industry called “personal development” has developed around the idea that if you simply adopt the mindset and behaviors of the ultra-rich and uber-successful, you, too, can become like them.
Steve Jobs even gave a graduation speech at Stanford University, where he said all you have to do to succeed is follow your heart and do work you’re passionate about.
I think deep down inside, we know it’s not quite that simple.
Do you really think folks like Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump rose to fame and power because they read Napoleon Hill’s book “Think & Grow Rich”?
Now, I’m not knocking reading good books or upgrading your skills by taking classes and attending seminars, and so on.
Those things have their place and can be strong contributors to one’s success in life.
But those activities are just a small part of the countless factors that determine one’s destiny.
My point is if God is real and if He exists, He is the sole determining factor of the rise and fall of every human being on the planet.
Of course, that includes the rich and powerful and every king, queen, prime minister, and president who has come and gone throughout history.
Biblical history attests this is true.
We see how God used the mighty nations of Babylonia and Assyria to judge His people Israel.
The very fact that Israel still stands as a nation today while all the other nations of ancient times have faded away with the sands of time is proof of God’s eternal existence.
Verse 10 of 2 Samuel Chapter 5 is also a solemn reminder of this fact.
We’re reminded David’s success was because of God’s blessing upon him.
David was only a mere participant in the divine scheme of things.
The only reason he grew greater and greater was because God was faithful to His word and promises.
For His reputation and His own Name’s sake, the Lord saw to it that David would rise to power…
And for the same reason, He upholds and protects Israel to this very day.
So, if I were to boil all of this down into a simple formula, it would be this:
“Work in collaboration with the Lord and give Him credit for your wins.”
Why?
Because He’s the source of all good in your life.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen a lot of folks who worked super hard and made intelligent decisions…
But things never panned out for them.
More often than not, when life was going well for these folks, they attributed their success to their own smarts and hard work.
But David understood that was a dangerous delusion.
He was aware he had to work hard, make difficult decisions, and exercise courage in leading God’s people.
But at the end of the day, he understood the results were up to the Lord.
The same principle applies to us as well.
We have to get up every day and water our gardens…
But it’s the Lord who, in His perfect timing, produces the fruit and provides the increase.
That’s a part of the equation that we can’t control.
This should be the mindset that anyone who worships the God of Israel should have in life.
See ya all next time.
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