The Golden Rule for Success - The OT Version

I have in many previous posts share the Golden Rule for Success - Mat 6:33 See BJ#1 The Golden Rule for Business Success  (Mat 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Here is a similar one in the Old Testament:

Joshua 1:8 (King James Version) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

 

We can see the 'Be-Do-Have' in the above verse.

1. Be - Internalization of the Law

The Law is summarized by Jesus in Mat 6:33 as "the Kingdom and its righteousness". We must be fully identified with the Law or the righteous of His Kingdom. This done by confessing and meditating on it day and night. Unless we are full of His thoughts, we cannot be like Him. Believers who do not read the Bible could not understand what he is in Christ. Do not know the thinking and feeling of Christ. They will not be able to be like Christ.

2. Do - According to All written
Once we internalized the values and mindset of the God, as taught through His Law, we can naturally act out those values and mindset. This part emphasize DOing and ACTing OUT of the internalized values. It also emphasize "according to ALL" and not subset. We cannot cheat a little. Integrity and trust are such that a little off is not longer acceptable. Once we break a trust, just once, we actually loose all the trust we build in the past. Unless it is 100%, anything less, even 99% is not trustworthy. People could not decide this time whether is belongs to the 99% proven or the 1% failure. Big failure tends to come from the little details - just a little bit off. Josh 1:7 tells us to be bold in doing all precisely, not to the right or to the left. It takes boldness to follow the Law exactly.

3. Have - Prosperous Way & Good Success 道路就可以亨通，凡事顺利。
The outcome for walking in the Law of God is naturally good flow of abundance and success. The original Hebrew word translated success is H7919 is prudence or wise. The Chinese translation is closer in meaning to the Hebrew. It says the ways will be smooth and opened flow without any obstruction. What you think and you will get. Whatever you can visualize, you can achieve it. The Laws of God is actually the Laws of Success for men. How did we get deceived that the Laws are restrictions for our freedom and keep us from the good life???

While God has surely promised abundance and success for all of us, it takes us to respond to His promises, by trusting in His ways, and following His righteous ways precisely, not omitting the details, and then receiving His promised abundance and success.

What says saved believers don't need to follow the laws? If we are truly saved, it is only natural that we follow the laws, and possess the success that bring glory and satisfaction to God. God's grace is to enable us to do the things that we formerly could not and do the things that we should - to be just like Him.