What Brings Success

Everyone desires to be successful, whether it is in marriage, in business, or in family relationships, i.e., between parents and their children, siblings, or other relatives. We want successful relationships with our friends and success to come our way when we face trials, disasters or crises. No one enjoys being down-and-out for long. For some, above all is to be financially successful.

The reality is that God created every human being to be happy and successful in all the pursuits of life.

Jesus, our example, was successful in everything He did. We may not measure some of the things He did in the context of what we understand success to be, but everything He pursued was perfect. We understand from the word of God that it is also possible for us today to be as He was in all things.

The question rings out, “What brings success?” The key and basis to success is to please God. This can be proven through the Scriptures as in the case of Naaman, who wanted to be healed of leprosy. He was told what to do in order to be healed. Because of his high position, he was offended at the simplicity of the requirement and refused to believe (II Kings 5:1–12). I hope you are not as Naaman but that your heart and mind are open to recognize that God works with simplicity, and even though it may sound too simple, it works.

Another example is found in the story of Esther. The incident involved Esther, Mordecai and a very cruel man, Haman, who hated the Jews with a passion. There is a phrase repeated in the book of Esther, which explains how Esther was enabled to be successful in all of her dealings with the king.

“Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces.” Esther 8:4, 5.

You will see the word please in these verses, and a careful study of the book of Esther reveals how many times she keeps repeating the need to please the king or to do that which was pleasing in his eyes. Every time she did so, she received what she wanted. This lesson, I believe, is in the Bible to teach us a particular science, a science that works with God as much as it works with man.

Regarding ancient Israel, the Bible states, “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” I Corinthians 10:5, 6. Verse 5 tells us the reason why the children of Israel, over a 40-year period in the wilderness, were destroyed. Over and over again you will see in the Scriptures that whenever Israel pleased God, they obtained whatever they wanted. Whenever they displeased God, they did not get what they wanted; actually they received what they deserved in the form of punishment. Pleasing men is one thing, but pleasing God is a whole different story. When Balaam sought to curse Israel, he knew that in order to bring Israel’s downfall he would need to cause the people to displease God by falling into sin. As long as they pleased God they had a shield, and the continued blessings of God were upon them (Numbers 22–24, 31:8, 16).

The way in which God dealt with Israel in times past is the same way He will deal with His people today. We have to learn what it is to please God in the same way we please people. Often we go out of our way to please men, but there is much more value in pleasing God above all else. The Bible says that God has created us for His pleasure. Not until He can get a people who will seek to please Him will God in turn bestow upon them every blessing that He has available.

It is not too difficult to be successful in this life, but we often lose faith in God’s way and try to pursue success on our own and in the way of the world. Too often we try to please our friends, even to the extent of disregarding God and His ways, yielding to peer pressure, just to please people versus pleasing God. Consequently, the success is limited.

Concerning the pleasing of Christ, the Bible says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:6–9.

We can say, “I am a son of God” or “I am a daughter of God” as much as we like, but if we are not seeking to please Him, the Spirit of God is not going to stay with us. He cannot dwell in those of the flesh, because those who are in the flesh do not make it their earnest effort to please Him. Relationships ought to be carefully chosen. To hang out constantly with the worldly-minded that tend to pull us down to the level of the carnal mind is very dangerous.

All good things come from God, whether it is in the context of material, physical, or spiritual blessings, and all of these gifts bring success. Even the wicked man depends upon the mercy of God to gain a blessing. Everything he has is only by God’s grace. Look at Nebuchadnezzar, the world ruler—king of Babylon; he lost everything because he did not recognize the source of his power. Because he took it upon himself to exalt himself as being the god and lord of the whole world instead of giving glory to the true God, he became like an animal. The Bible says he was out in the pasture for seven years eating grass, and his nails and hair grew long (Daniel 4:30–33). He failed to please God and did not acknowledge the true source of all his blessings.

What would we be and what could we attain if we decided to do only that which we know would be pleasing in God’s sight? A parent, especially a Christian parent, will usually do almost anything for a child who lives to please him. This same thing applies in the context of God’s people, not just in the context of our relation with family or friend. Until we are doing our best to please God instead of ourselves or other individuals, we will lose out on the blessings that God wants to bestow upon us.

The apostle declared, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. Is this the attitude we have when we come up against situations that involve pleasing friends or pleasing others? Do we, like the apostle, recognize that if we fail to please God in our efforts to please others, we are not going to be considered His servants?

God is looking for a people on whom He can bestow all of His blessings. This world is lacking a true representation of God on this planet, with so many professed Christians not resembling Christ. Christian means follower of Christ, and we need to understand how Christ conducted himself, how the apostles and the patriarchs and prophets acted. They lived their lives seeking to please God, even if they turned everybody else against themselves. God, in turn, was always ready to give them whatever they needed.

In the context of marriage, Paul says, “He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” I Corinthians 7:32, 33. This is the only big challenge that is cited regarding marriage. Marriage involves becoming one. That means forsaking father, mother and all others to become fully aligned with your mate. Even though the Bible says that marriage is highly exalted and honorable, it leaves this warning for us. Whether married or unmarried, be aware of the greatest danger in such an experience; a married person is generally inclined to seek to please the person with whom they are married. Actually, that is a good thing, because love is self-sacrificing. Love is a principle that makes itself manifest in seeking the best interest and happiness of others at the expense of oneself. Nothing is wrong with seeking to please the other. But there is a danger, and that is placing a spouse before God, and by so doing, the need to first consider God’s happiness is forgotten. We are warned, because many times we compromise even in marriage, though we know our spouse to be in the wrong and we know that God is not pleased. Be careful! The most important thing in life is the need to establish ahead of time that your boyfriend/girlfriend knows that God comes first with you. If he/she makes objection, then it does not make sense to pursue the relationship further. God must come first in our pursuit of genuine happiness, and true friendship is based upon whether we will live to please God.

Every so often, if we are not looking to please somebody else, we look to please ourselves instead of God. We think that rubbing shoulders against a person, who is powerful, wealthy and knowledgeable in everything, will ensure getting what is needed to be successful. To that end, some grovel, bend over backwards and become total puppets just to please people and get the necessary help to climb the ladder of success they desire, never realizing the true source—God. Man knows that pleasing people helps people to like them, so they will at times compromise their own morals to please people to get certain positions in life. In their heart they know they are not being true; they lie. They know they are just using those people, but they know they must profess to please in order to be benefitted.

Use this same principle in the context of God. If we seek to please God, He, in turn, will show approbation and bestow His blessing upon us. We will not have to grovel at the feet of mankind because our Source is more powerful and more capable than any human being in supplying all of our needs.

Most churches today want to be culturally relevant. They will tell you that if you want to keep the young people in church you must worship the way they enjoy it. What then is going to happen to the church? What is going to happen to the principles of righteousness? What is going to happen to exalting the truth, if that truth is watered down in order to keep the members? Whom are we thinking to please? We want to be successful, but we do not want to do it God’s way.

We need to realize this most important step towards success. Putting God first does not in any way eliminate love for one another and treating one another right. How would God be pleased if we were to betray the brethren? What God wants from us is to live and speak in harmony with that which He is willing to hear and willing to see. When we can please God, we can then please our fellow man. Sometimes they may not like it, but the truth of the matter is, God must come first.

In regard to the church, when God allocates a responsibility, it needs to be taken seriously. This is not done to please the pastor or an elder, but it is done to please God. We would not grumble if asked to do a task for an employer because we know that it would affect our job, but some think we can grumble with God and it is okay—no, it is not okay!

Our attitude in returning God’s tithe reveals how much we are living for self, versus living for God. Some even hold God ransom in the way His church is held ransom by saying, “They did not do what I wanted, so I will teach them a lesson and hold back my tithe from them.” God gives each of us an opportunity to prove whether we love Him or not, whether we believe His word or not, whether we will please Him or please ourselves. Every action performed that is contrary to God’s principle of righteousness is recorded. Are we taking time to faithfully record and calculate our tithe in the way that we should to make sure that we do not rob God? If God makes a command known to us, it is a command, a requirement, and we will be judged based upon our faithfulness to that knowledge. This principle applies not only to tithing but also to all of His commands.

It is not just a matter of whether or not we keep the Sabbath holy. We allow Satan to fool us into thinking that because we keep the Sabbath while we disregard the other commandments God will still be pleased with us.

In regard to success even in finances, most people are accustomed to reading the familiar passage where the Lord promises that if we believe, He will open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing, which we will not be able to receive (Malachi 3:7–10). Most of the time we do not believe that God means what He says, and when we don’t see the blessing pouring out upon us, we tell ourselves that we cannot really believe the Bible. How can God turn around and bless those who do not consistently comply with His will? God sees the end from the beginning, and He can tell if we are going to keep on doing the right thing or not. Why then should He bestow a blessing upon us when He knows that in two weeks or two months we are going to stop?

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:2–6.

This was a lesson the Lord was trying to teach through the experience of Israel. His brethren had disregarded the house of God. The church was not as important to them as their own homes, forgetting that the key to success was to first please God. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” They did not believe that principle, so they were putting all of their earnings into bags with holes. Malachi 3:10, 11 says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” God’s concern is that there is meat in due season for the saving of souls. God says, “Bring ye all.” Either we obey or disobey. The Lord says, “I will take care of you but you must please Me first.”

The secret to be truly successful in life is to live to please God first and believe He will provide for all other needs. Nothing else will bring happiness into our lives or into our families or homes.

Truth often hurts, and in times past, prophets were stoned to death because they said things that the people did not want to hear. They did not live to please the people and neither should we be afraid to speak and live the truth. Today, stoning takes on a new guise than in times past. Those who are hid in Christ and doing the will of the Father will not be hurt by the stones, but the one who does the throwing will be.

It is time to make changes. God is in need of genuine Christians—not fakes, hypocrites, or jokers. We are growing closer and closer to the end of time and need the Lord to be near. Living a selfish life pleasing either ourselves or other people is what has brought this planet to where it is today. Instead of looking to please God, her Creator, Eve decided to please the serpent, believing his lies. Then Adam, deciding to please his wife, went ahead and ate the forbidden fruit, knowing it was wrong and not pleasing to God.

We do the same, not realizing that the closest and most beneficial relationship possible is one with God. “The tithe is sacred, reserved by God for Himself. It is to be brought into His treasury to be used to sustain the gospel laborers in their work. For a long time the Lord has been robbed because there are those who do not realize that the tithe is God’s reserved portion.” Counsels on Stewardship, 93.

Paul said, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9, 10.

These brethren understood that they needed to live a righteous life. We need a relationship with the Lord like we have never seen or had before to understand the secret of their success. We are being prepared for a time of trouble such as never was, and we need to have an experience such as never was. We need the success of those who went ahead of us. They knew that God was pleased when they were seeking for His knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. If we cannot find the time to make earnest efforts to study but still find time to watch TV, play games, hang out with our friends and do other things that we enjoy, how can we be pleasing in His sight? We can always seem to make time for the things we consider important. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. It is impossible to please God without faith and impossible to have faith without knowing Him. God always tells us the truth; He never lies, and He is hurt when we do not believe and trust Him. To doubt God is nothing less than calling Him a liar.

“In our work for God there is danger of relying too largely upon what man with his talents and ability can do. Thus we lose sight of the one Master Worker. Too often the worker for Christ fails to realize his personal responsibility. He is in danger of shifting his burden upon organizations, instead of relying upon Him who is the source of all strength. It is a great mistake to trust in human wisdom or numbers in the work of God.” The Desire of Ages, 370.

God wants a people who are searching for truth, for only truth can sanctify and transform lives. “Successful work for Christ depends not so much on numbers or talent as upon pureness of purpose, the true simplicity of earnest, dependent faith. Personal responsibilities must be borne, personal duties must be taken up, personal efforts must be made for those who do not know Christ. In the place of shifting your responsibility upon someone whom you think more richly endowed than you are, work according to your ability.” Ibid.

It is essential that each member of the church see that he/she has a personal responsibility in the success of that church. No matter how many relinquish their responsibilities, we have to say to ourselves, “I will do it.” We are not here to please ourselves but to please God. We were created for His pleasure.

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:20. Here we see that to please God is to obey. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7. No one wants their family or their neighbors to be their enemies. At times they may not like us, but they will avoid having confrontation because of the connection we have with Somebody mightier than they, just as ancient Israel’s enemies were afraid because they knew that the Israelites were the friends of a God whom they did not know. There are many examples where the heathen tried to make peace with them and stay out of their way.

The wise man said, “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.” Ecclesiastes 7:25, 26. There is a time of trouble coming, and we need God’s protection and blessings.

Pleasing God brings success. Jesus’ success came from His Father. He declared, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” John 8:29. Jesus pleased His Father by always doing His will. He had the assurance of His Father’s presence continually. That same experience is available to all who diligently seek after Him with all of their heart and obey His word.

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” I John 3:22.

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the pastor of Tucker-Norcross Free Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in the state of Georgia. He also pastors several sister churches in North Carolina, Michigan, and elsewhere. He is the director of The Gilead Institute of America, an outreach and medical missionary evangelistic training institute started in 1990, and is presently the chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Free Seventh-day Adventists, a worldwide network of historic self-supporting churches and ministries. Pastor Herbert holds a doctorate in religion and has written a number of books and articles on religious and health topics. He also travels throughout the United States and internationally to promote present truth. He has a monthly sermon CD and newsletter with topics covering end-time events and practical Christian living. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.