The dictionary definition of success is “favorable or desired outcome”. Do you want to have a favorable outcome for your career? Your marriage? Your finances? Me too. The good news is that our heavenly father passes his own success traits down to his children.
Although I list only five, I am sure there are many, many others. Please share the ones you think of at the end of the post.Here are my five:
1. Diligence
God, of course, is diligent – he created the world in six days and never broke sweat. His children should likewise be diligent. We are told to “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23) We do not work for an hourly wage, nor do we work to keep a job or to satisfy our own consciences; our challenge is to work for the Lord himself. A Christian therefore knows that ‘good enough” is never good enough; only our very best work effort will suffice. This being said, the worker who works to please the Lord is the one who will be recognized and therefore the one who will get those promotions. He will succeed.
2. Creativity
God’s first action was creative. The first sentence in the bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”. He visualized every detail of the universe and spoke it into being. If that isn’t creativity I don’t know what is. As his children, we too have great potential for creativity.
All of the following were Christians:
- Galileo Galilei, the first astronomer to use the telescope in his research, discovered craters in the moon, moons orbiting Jupiter and the phases of Venus.
- Blaise Pascal pioneered the laws of probability and invented early calculating machines, the syringe and the hydraulic press.
- Isaac Newton, among many accomplishments, discovered the law of gravity and the invention of calculus.
- George Washington Carver’s research on peanuts resulted in more than 300 by-products while his research on sweet potatoes resulted in over 100 by products.
- Louis Pasteur’s research on bacteria led to the process of pasteurization sterilization and the development of numerous vaccines.
What does creativity have to do with success? Simply that creative people think outside the box and are therefore better able to achieve the desired outcome.
3. A can-do mindset
God has never had a negative thought. He has never doubted his own abilities and has never been paralyzed by fear of the unknown. He never makes excuses and he always finishes what he starts. As his children, we should be willing to take on the difficult, to venture into the unknown and to boldly live on the edge. Success awaits those who do.
4. Honesty
Jesus claimed to be “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He was not simply truthful; he WAS truth.
Thomas J. Stanley, in his classic work, “The Millionaire Mind
5. Generosity
God is a giver. He created the world for us and, when we made a mess of things, he gave up his beloved son as payment for our misdeeds. The characteristic of generosity is the very culmination of success. Why? Because, pragmatically speaking, we can only be generous when we have goods, time or talent to be generous with. Jesus taught: “Give, and you will receive. … The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38) Clearly, the more generous we are, the more God helps us succeed so we can be even more generous.
Closing thoughts
Because our heavenly father is diligent, creative, can-do, honest and generous, his children should inherit those same traits. This being said, the more time we spend with our heavenly father, the more we will be like him. Do you want to succeed? You can do it. How? By spending time with a father who loves you and wants to spend time with you.
Sounds like success to me.
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Joe Plemon, a retired engineer, financial counselor and blogger, lives in Southern Illinois with Janice, his wife of 39 years. Joe likes online Scrabble, St Louis Cardinal baseball, blues music, power naps, high school football, short term mission trips and Sunday family dinners. You can read more from Joe at Personal Finance by the Book.
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