Do you know anyone who’s graduating?
In many parts of the world, the end of May is a time when graduations occur. People gather to celebrate years of study coming to a close, and the next step of the journey beginning. Hopefully.
The true value of a degree is found in the subject that was studied, and not all degrees are created equal. If someone spends four (or more) years of their life studying Astrobiology, Ecogastronomy, Bagpiping, or Puppet Arts – well let’s just say that their job prospects are not going to be exactly stellar. (And, no, I didn’t make any of those degrees up.) But if you’re looking for something to study that will guarantee success and prosperity, I’ve got the answer for you.
But first, welcome to “Mornings with Bishop Robert,” and thanks for joining me today. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and then help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, it would be really helpful if you’d share it with a friend !
Today’s verse says:
STUDY THIS BOOK OF INSTRUCTION CONTINUALLY.
MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT SO YOU’LL BE SURE TO OBEY EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT.
ONLY THEN WILL YOU PROSPER AND SUCCEED IN ALL YOU DO.
First of all, the prosperity and success God is promising here has nothing to do with mansions and private jets. God’s prosperity is measured in the impact you have for the Kingdom of God and the lives of those you touch. Being rich and famous is no guarantee of true success. Many of the big names of today are miserable; their lives are spinning wildly out of control. They have no inner peace, and few if any relationships of trust. Multiple magazines put the stories of their quest for real value and self worth on display week after week.
The prosperity God is promising is an offer of true and real fulfillment. He has created each one of us with specific gifts and talents, we are His workmanship. Long before you were a gleam in your parents eyes He had prepared specific things for you that He knew would give you self-worth, and a sense of true purpose. He wants you to discover those things so you can walk in them. Your enemy wants to hide them from you. Both of them know that, when you find your purpose and walk in your gifts, it’s going to have an incredible impact — both on YOU and also on those AROUND YOU.
To have that impact – you need PURPOSE and POWER. You’ll find them both in the pages of the bible.
God reveals His purpose for your life as He speaks to you from His word. He teaches you what is true. That’s important because the enemy will lie to you. Some people get upset when God tells them the truth about sin. They don’t want to follow His definition of marriage; and then wonder why society is falling apart at the seams. When His word says, “Male and female He created them,” they want to add a long list of other genders. He speaks of the importance of honesty and integrity, love and grace; but we re-brand lying, stealing and cheating so they are more acceptable. The problem is that changing the label doesn’t eliminate the problem.
Some members of a church approached their preacher, concerned about how strongly he was preaching against sin. They said, “We don’t want you to talk as openly and specifically about sin, because many are getting offended, and some of our people will be tempted by what they hear.” The minister took down a small bottle and showing it to the visitors said, “You see that label? It says strychnine—and underneath in bold, red letters the word POISON! Do you know what you are asking me to do? You are suggesting that I change the label. Suppose I do, and paste over it the words, ‘Essence of Peppermint’; don’t you see what happens? The milder you make your label, the more dangerous you make your poison!”
As we study God’s word, He teaches us the truth. As He reveals His truth to us we begin to understand our purpose and how He has prepared us for it. Then He imparts HIS POWER into us through His word and His Spirit. He enables us to accomplish what He has called us to do. Renowned bible teacher R.A. Torrey said, “You can talk about power; but if you neglect the one Book that God has given you as the one instrument through which He imparts and exercises His power, you will not have it.”
You and I need to do our best to present ourselves to God as people who rightly handle His word of truth, because we study it and put what we learn into practice. As you do He will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
