“David . . selected five stones.” 1 Samuel 17:40 The Message.
Let the best of your past be the boost for your future.
My thoughts and comments today are about “secrets of success.”
David and Goliath present a marvelous story. David achieved monumental success against all odds. Who doesn’t love a story like that? Wouldn’t it be great if you could know and copy David’s secret? Success is not that simple. There is rarely just one solution. Almost as a footnote the Bible records, “David . . selected five stones.” 1 Samuel 17:40 The Message. Ever wonder why David selected five? I mean, without God, five ordinary stones are not all that more confidence-building than one.
The Bible does not really answer that question, which allows us to consider why he might have done so. If you are serious about succeeding, I suggest that you will be open to more than one way to help get you there. You need the kind of attitude that boldly says, “Whatever it takes!” Maybe David chose five smooth stones because he didn’t know which one God would direct to its mark; he was just sure that God would make the most of his every efforts. You can be sure of that also.
Here are five, practical contributors to meaningful accomplishments. The first is: learn from your failure; build on your success. Do not dwell on failures; do not forget successes. Understanding those two things avoids further mistakes and celebrates victories as confidence boosters. People usually do just the opposite, recalling every painful, trivial detail of failure while discounting triumphs God helped them achieve.
The second is: let the best of your past be the boost for your future. David remembered well. “God who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:37. Be careful; your focus can determine your direction and expectation; make sure that moves you upward and onward. “I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT.
The third is: concern yourself with God’s honor more than your reputation. Like everything else in life, success is not about you and your enrichment or acclaim; your success brings glory to God’s Name and reveals His nature to bless. “I come to you in the Name of the Lord Almighty – the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied . . the whole world will know there is a God in Israel. And everyone will know the Lord does not need weapons to rescue His people. It is His battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
The fourth is: success does not come to spectators. 1 Samuel 17:24-25. David was willing to join the battle. He was impassioned, “Who is this that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?. . Is there not a cause? ” 1 Samuel 17:26/29. He became personally involved. Success does not come to you while you watch; you succeed when you do God’s work.
The fifth is: never give up short of a Godly goal. Recently, I read this statement, “Success is 10% ability and good fortune, and 90% perseverance.” Someone else observed, “The harder I work the more fortunate I become.” Every success is built on a history of effort and perseverance. As a teen I learned a simple but practical word of advice, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
My prayer for you today is that you experience the joy of true success.