Everyone likes a success story, especially when one breaks unspeakable odds. When someone succeeds, you want to read about it, and hopefully learn how you can become successful. Success is not only a priority of our culture, it is built into our genetics. Striving to be more, to do more, and to have more propels you to continually search for how you can be more successful. This includes your spiritual life, as well. You desperately want the Lord to tell you upon your arrival at the pearly gates, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
If you want to be successful in the Christian life, it is imperative that you examine the lives of men and women who God has used greatly while they were on this earth. “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God, because they reckoned on God’s being with them,” is the way J. Hudson Taylor put it. No doubt about it. God uses people who depend upon Him fully. The key lies in finding out how you can depend more on God, since it seems that relying on God enables you to become more used by Him.
I absolutely love the Holy Scriptures, because of many reasons with one being that it is just so plain practical. Absolutely everything you need to live successfully on earth and get you into heaven above is mentioned in the Bible. The Scriptures include a whole chapter of men and women who excelled in their Christian life, which is what you want to do. It does not stop there. It tells you exactly how you can excel also. Brush the dust off Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen for by it the men of old gained approval.” Following this is the list of giants in the faith with this chapter often being referred to as God’s Hall of Fame. People like Enoch, Noah, Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac are just a few of the many Christian giants mentioned who “gained approval.” Yep, they gained approval by being men and women of great faith. I know your next question: how can I increase my faith so that I can be one who “gained approval?”
I am glad you asked that question. To increase your faith so you could “gain approval” must be solved. Here the Bible again answers the question in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Thus, to be successful as a Christian requires having more faith and to increase faith one must increase their knowledge of the Word of God.
Make daily reading of the Scriptures a priority. Start today!!!
