Contrary to Logic

[Ebn Barbara]

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39).
The hours, the days and the years pass by successively, and all are seeking to realize their goals and dreams, whether small or big.
So for each person there are specific goals, some of them are simple: such as assuring the continuity of life, and others are big: such as realizing scientific breakthroughs or accomplishing big projects and so on…

The definitions and explanations that the world gives for success are many:

“We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective” (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” (Sir Winston Churchill).

“Success is the accomplishment of that which most people think can’t be done” (C.V. White).

So what is our position regarding those definitions? Do we have to occupy ourselves with accomplishing successes in our school and professional life? Or do we focus only on spiritual matters?

Let us first search for the reason or the motive that pushes people to succeed. Especially when we see that some of them are willing to invest all their life, money, and time searching for a specific success, and to do all they can, without caring about the challenges, to reach their objective.
So what is the reason for such a perseverance and focus?

No matter how numerous were the external reasons or appearances, whether the search was for power, money or social position… if we look more into it, we would find that the two main reasons are:

The search for the feeling of value through what the person accomplishes.

The inner peace and the feeling of security that are brought by success, whether morally or for stability; and the financial peace that comes from the profit of success.

And these two reasons are related in one way or another.
But the Lord said: “Peace I live with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. (John 14:27).
And He also said:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on… Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? … But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
(Matthew 6:25-34).
And if you were looking for a value for yourself, know that it is written:
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
(1 Peter 1:18-19).

If the motive that pushes you to accomplish your goals and dreams is the feeling of value and peace, then you are wasting your time and energy in the wrong place, for many have tried before you and have accomplished successes, discoveries and scientific inventions that we are still profiting today, but they haven’t experienced the real peace that fills the heart.
Nobody and nothing can give value to a person, and real peace to the heart, except that person’s creator.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
(Matthew 16:26).
He loses his own soul in this life running after perishable things which don’t fill the heart, and loses eternal life and the hope that is ours in Christ after death..
Does this mean that we should leave everything and all that we are doing and serve in the ministry full time?
Of course not.. but:
The Lord has many promises for the subject of success, and He calls us to be successful each one in his own domain, job, and studies:
“And whatever he does shall prosper”. (Psalm 1:3).

“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath.” (Deuteronomy 28:13).
Read this verse from the book of Deuteronomy, and meditate on the Lord’s promises.. for the successes that the Lord promises to His people, include all domains, and are on all levels. The Lord wants you to be successful, these are His promises for you, and you should get hold of them and claim them from His hand, but you need first to examine your motives, and then you need to think about the way to follow and to realize these goals and dreams.

Before treating those two points, there is an important matter I want to raise up:
set your priorities.
This is the starting point, for when your priorities are correct, everything gets organized and flows easily, but if your priorities are not organized, you will not succeed no matter how hard you try.
There has to be a time when you say with all your being:
“And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.” (Psalm 73:25).

How?
A simple and very very important key which is essential to live a victorious and successful Christian life on all levels. And one of the most beautiful verses in the book of proverbs:
“A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7).
You cannot overcome the world and his desires, whether they are sins or temptations or unclean goals or dreams, or are outside the plan of the Lord, if you are not full of Jesus.
Do not be surprised if the bitterness of the world seems sweet, for if your soul is not satisfied, and if you are not full of the Lord, you need to satisfy it with something else!!!
But I pray that in the coming days you will be more and more satisfied from the Lord, and you will step on the world and the honeycomb of the world, and the thoughts, ways, reasoning, priorities of the world, and that you will organize your priorities, girding your minds with the truth and the word of the Lord, and will set your thoughts and goals according to the heart of the Lord and His thoughts.
And now we will examine again the motives for success.
Are your motives giving glory to the Lord and His ministry?
Or are they unclean and selfish motives?
“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Protect your heart from the desires of the world and unclean motives, keep your focus and desires to please the Lord in all your ways, set your heart according to the Lord’s heart, and He will certainly assure your success. May all that you do be for His glory, and do all that you do faithfully as to the Lord, so the Lord will see your faithfulness and will appoint you over greater and bigger things, where you can glorify Him more.

Are your motives to show off your abilities and bring attention on you?
Even when you serve the Lord, are the purposes of your ministry to show off, like the Pharisees wanted to appear righteous and pure in front of the people, but their hearts were far from the Lord.
Purify your motives, and always ask that the will of the Lord be fulfilled in your life, this is an essential key to accomplish a real lasting success:
Yes.. the Lord wants us to be successful in everything and His word says:
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health…” (3 John 1:2).
But the question remains, do we want to be successful in everything for the Lord’s glory?
The Lord wants you to enjoy your successes but through Him.

The second point: on what do you rely to succeed in what you do?
Do you rely on your understanding, your intelligence, your wisdom, your strength, your knowledge, your relationships…?
For if you rely on these things, do not be surprised if you fail, and you get tired and get to the point of giving up.
Even if you accomplish a certain success, it will be incomplete and empty, and it can also hurt you, because it is a fake success, it will come with a fake and deceiving peace that will not take long to fade away.
When you rely on your cleverness and intelligence and you reach a success after another, you should get ready for a great fall.
Pray that the Lord doesn’t allow that you succeed away from Him.
For if you fall after the first fake success, your fall will not be as hurtful and painful as if you fall after several successes, for when you succeed your confidence in your abilities and understanding increases, then you take more risks, and then the fall is greater, and this is one of the major reasons for the financial collapse that is happening in the world now.
Because of the financial boom that lasted many years, people thought that they reached a continuous economical growth, and they increased their investments in risky places, and when it was clear that this unreal situation and success will not last for a long lasting future, it was too late, and a great number of people lost all their fortunes!!!
Do not trust your abilities, or what you have learned, or even your past experiences, whether they are experiences of success or failure, and do not trust your bank or doctor, for no one other than the Lord can assure the future, and do know that He cares for you and your future.
Also David who was according to the Lord’s heart said:
“For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them. (Psalm 44:3).
No matter how advanced science and studies became, they will still be very far from knowing all the things that are controlling our life.

This is not a verse but the words of a wise man who is Abu Nawas:
“Say to the one who claims that in science there is knowledge, you have kept one thing but have lost many other things”.
And the book of Proverbs wrote for us beautiful verses:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Does this mean that we become stupid, and stop our studies and stop our education and development?
Of course not, for the word of the Lord says: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.” (Proverbs 21:31).
We learn and get education, and we strive and toil… but.. putting our trust and all our abilities in the hands of the Lord, asking Him to lead us, use us, and to help us be sensitive to the voice and directions of His Spirit and guidance; then we will succeed.

What are your motives and your dreams?
Is it to live a pleasant life?
Is it to have a nice family?
Is it to accomplish astonishing successes in the areas of your studies or your work?
Is it to have a ministry and to win souls to the Lord…?

Whatever were your dreams and ambitions, be careful not to try to accomplish them relying on your own strength, because cursed is he who relies on human strength.. and beware to have unclean motives, because if you get to your desires, it will not last and will not come with a real peace.. for human wisdom brings tiredness:
“For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18).

And in opposition:
“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”
(Proverbs 10:22).

Above all you have to organize your priorities. The Lord has to be first, and all that you do has to be for His glory and the expansion of His kingdom, whether it is in a direct or indirect way. When you are successful it glorifies the Lord, and this indicates that the Lord is with you as it is written in Deuteronomy 28, and as the Lord promised Joshua saying: I lift you up to make all people know that I am with you. It is not required of us to be religious, but to glorify the Lord in all that we do. And also do not forget the first verse of Deuteronomy 28 that says:
“If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today…”
Following this verse there is a great flow of real blessings that the Lord showers you with, in this book.

These are the key for success, and it is against human logic.. Surrender all your matters to the Lord, and do not rely on your own strength and knowledge, and all that you do, do it for His glory, and He will lift you up in His time. If you want to find your life lose it for His sake, for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?.. For the Lord all the glory.

Chadi Nawar