Unmerited Favor - Part 1: The Definition of Success

Dear friends,

I believe you will be blessed by the article below.

Dedo Suwanda


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Unmerited Favor - Part 1: The Definition of Success



The sweltering Egyptian sun blazes down on the bustling market. The distinctive scent of aromatic spices wafts over the countless rows of merchants calling out their wares and treasures brought here from far and wide. Looking over the crowd, you will find a colorful assortment of people: dancers, musicians, thieves, busy housewives, pickpockets and wealthy landlords, all gathered here shopping, bargaining, eyeing over and sifting through the countless objects on display. Everything, from the intricate creations of precious metals to livestock, has a price. In fact, a slave can be yours for 20 pieces of silver. There are no rules here for fair exchange. A top bid will get you what you desire. An inferior one will leave you empty-handed.



Amid this hustle and bustle in the main square by the fountain stands a young man of about 17 years old, his neck and his hands bound firmly with coarse ropes. From the rope burn across his wrists and around his neck, you can tell that the merchants have not been kind as they hurried to reach the market in time to put their prize on display. They have heard a rumor that Potiphar, a high-ranking official from Pharaoh’s court, in planning to make a purchse today.



The young man is dazed from so many days of walking. His legs keep buckling beneath him, his arms are weary from the constant tugging and his mouth is parched from the dry desert winds. He is in a foreign land where the people speak in an incomprehensible tongue. With nothing to his name, not even a loincloth to cover his modesty, he is bound and displayed, completely naked. In a short while, he would be inspected like an animal against his will, and sold into a lifetime of slavery.



And yet, God Himself calls this young man, named Joseph, a successful man!



Genesis 39: 1-2 says, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, and officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”



Success Is A Result Of Who You Have



Who would consider this young man, Joseph, who is about to be sold into slavery “a successful man”? Of course not! Yet, God says in His own words that Joseph was a successful man.



God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s definition. Corporate America measures success based on what you have done, what you have accomplished and what you have accumulated. It is based entirely on you focusing all your time, energy and resources in meriting titles and collecting accomplishments. Now, we have witnessed how this self-indulgent accumulation has led to the sub-prime crisis, the decimation of investment banks and a widespread international financial meltdown. Can you see that the world’s model of success is unstable and built upon a foundation that is shakable. It may have the outward appearance of the good life, but it is temporal, and we have all seen for ourselves how the world’s transient wealth can dissipate like smoke and easily slip away like the shifting sands in the desert.



From Genesis 39: 2, it is clear that success is not what you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him. The material things that you have accumulated or are feverishly trying to amass do not make you a success. It is the presence of the Lord in your life that makes you a success.



We need to learn to stop pursuing things and to start pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you need for every success in your life. I cannot imagine starting in a worse place than Joseph. He was completely naked. He had nothing! No bank accounts, no educational qualifications, no natural connections with people of influence, nothing. Thank God the Bible records a picture of Joseph who began with nothing, so that you and I can have hope today. If you think that like Joseph, you have nothing, well, you can start believing in the power of the presence of the Lord in your life. Start looking to Jesus and claim that promise in that scripture for yourself! Because He is with you, you are already a success. When you have Jesus in your life, you are no longer trying to be a success; you are a success!



Saving You Is God’s Job Description



The name “Jesus” is Yeshua in Hebrew, which contains an abbreviation for Yahweh, the name of God in Hebrew. So the name “Jesus” literally means “Yahweh is our Savior” or “The Lord is our Savior”. What a beautiful name! Every time you call the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, you are calling God Himself to save you. Saving you is Jesus’ job description! Whatever the challenge or circumstance, whatever crisis you are in – physically, financially or emotionally – you can call on the name of Jesus, and Almighty God Himself will save you!



You can take the time to know the names of God, which is revealed under the old covenant, such as Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rophe and Jehovah-Nissi. You can do a complete study on the names of God. I am not against that at all. However, all these names will mean nothing to you if you don’t know that God Almighty Himself, Jesus, wants to save you first from all your sins, then from all your challenges. God can be all powerful, but if you are not confident that He is interested in your success, His power would mean nothing to you. So, you don’t have to memorize all the names of God from the old covenant. What you need is a full revelation that Jesus, in the new covenant, is your Savior!



That’s not all. The Bible goes on to say that “all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”, which is translated “God with us”. Now, it is very interesting for us to note that Jesus’ name is not just Jesus! His name is also Immanuel, meaning the Almighty God is with us.



Jesus Is Immanuel – The Almighty God Is With Us.



All our struggling, willpower, discipline and self-effort cannot do what the presence of the Lord can do in an instant. And who is to say that as we are talking about Jesus now, His presence will not take away something that is destructive in your life? You see, you are transformed not by struggling. You are transformed by beholding Jesus and believing that He loves you and wants to save you.



Now, what does it mean to say “God is with us”? We must understand it the same way the Hebrew people would have understood it. There is something beautiful here – this is the secret of Immanuel! The Jewish mind understands that when the Lord is with you, you become successful in every endeavor in your life. Don’t just take my word for it. Look through the chronicles of Jewish history. The Bible records that whenever the Lord was with them in the battle, the children of Israel were never defeated, and every military campaign ended in overwhelming success. In fact, in the battle of Jericho, the city was theirs with just a shout! Why? The Lord was with them. Even in the battles when they were outnumbered, they triumphed because the Lord was with them. It is no different in the modern context. When the Bible says that Jesus is with you, He is with you to help you, assist you, turn things around for you and make good things happen for you. He is not with you, as some wrongly believe, to condemn you, judge you and to find fault in you. When the Almighty God is with you, good things will happen in you, around you and through you. I have seen that time and time again!



Genesis 39: 2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.” You have to begin to claim that verse everyday and say out loud, “Jesus is with me, so everything I do will succeed.” You have to practice the presence of Jesus. It is one thing to give a mental assent that Jesus is with you, but it is another thing to start being conscious of the presence of Jesus. You can start practicing His presence by speaking it out.



Practice His Presence And See His Power



Do you know the best time to thank Jesus for His presence is when you don’t “feel” His presence? When it comes to the presence of Jesus, do not go by your feelings. Feelings can be deceptive. Go by His promise that He is Immanuel!



Have you heard the story of a groom who approached his pastor almost immediately after his wedding ceremony? He told his pastor, “Pastor, you know, I don’t feel married.” The pastor grabbed him by the collar and growled, “Listen, buy. You ARE married whether you feel it or not, understand? Just take it by faith that you are married!”



You cannot go by your feelings. You go by the truth and the truth is this: God promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13: 5) So the best time to practice His presence is precisely when you feel Jesus is 100,000 miles away. Remember that feelings aren’t based on truth. God’s word is truth!



Amen!



From "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince