In view of
all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith
with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with
knowledge,6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient
endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection
with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you
will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or
blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
The New Year has arrived, as
have the challenges and decisions that all of us have to make. Choices are a big deal for all us. Each choice could change us or maybe even the
people around us.
The verses above remind me of
stair steps for great choices and decisions that will see that we are walking
closer to God and finding much more success in our lives. This success is not about the amount of money
you have in bank, how many notches on your belt or how high your have climbed
the ladder. But this success has
everything to do with our character, of who we are on the inside.
True success, I believe, has
much to do with how your life is impacting the lives of others. Ask the question: are you a positive or
negative influence on those around you?
That might give you a wake up call if you choose wisely.
Don’t be blind (like the verse
above says). Build your character with
traits that count like self-control and generosity. Endurance and godliness … these are simply
parts of the bigger picture that will give us success in 2018.
Take a few minutes to look at
the picture at the top of this devotion.
Success is like the iceberg.
Those who look on only see the top.
When we are successful, there is much underneath the water that holds up
our success. Great wins begin with
learning from our loses. Big success is
built upon getting back up with you fall or you are knocked down.
For 2018 I am going to choose
success. Will you do the same?
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