Success

The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. (Genesis 39:2 NLT)

I don't think we give the Lord much credit in our lives. Most people keep their "business" or "professional" life separate from their spiritual life. That's just not how things work. As Joseph knew, God is in the center of our lives, ALL aspects of it.

My life as a school teacher is not separate from my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I have been blessed as a teacher, not because of ME, but because God working through me . I constantly ask God to lead me through my day. I ask him to be involved in my attitudes towards my students, their parents, and the community. I pray constantly for my administrators and fellow teachers. I try to represent my savior in everything I do, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I'm not perfect and in many ways I am striving for these goals! I have not achieved them. My intent is not to USE my relationship with Jesus for monetary gain, but success is a byproduct of a sincere relationship with him. 

Joseph was in a situation he did not want and in a place he didn't want to be, but because of his wondeful relationship with the Lord, he became a great success. He did not let anything get in the way of his love of God. We need to do the same thing. Our success can be directly attributed to our relationship with Jesus. If you are wallering in your life or your career, you might also be stagnate in your life with Jesus. Change that! Draw closer to him, build that relationship with the Lord as a priority and then sit back and see how your life changes. You will be able to deal with set backs, stresses, and enjoy success like you have never seen before! Give God a chance to really impact your life.

Dear Lord, thank you for the successes I have had on my life. I know that they are directly attributed to you. I am humbled with the ways you have blessed me and continue to want to draw closer, to know you more. I praise you for all that I am. I love you and the grace you have given me. Thank You Lord! Amen!

You win some...... You lose some.... God never quits!

Acts 18

 ⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

 ⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

 ⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

There are over 400 schools in the state of Indiana. Not all of them have Football but most of them do. Out of those schools there are only 5 schools that get to end their season on a positive note. When you play sports, someone wins and someone loses. You can't win them all. Yet, I know how hard coaches take losses. I guess that's what drives them. They really want to win every game, even though they know that's impossible. They prepare to win.

Paul acts like a coach. He wants to win every soul he comes across. He doesn't plan on losing a single person. He wants all saved for the Lord. That should be the goal of every Christian. We should never prepare to lose.  We should always prepare to win. We need to look at every relationship. We need to look at every person we meet as an opportunity to change a life for Christ. We should never look at someone as being hopeless. It's sad to say but we can not save everyone for Christ. But, God does not need us to save everyone. It's ok if we lose.

God never gives up on anyone and we need to assume that if we are not successful, someone else could be. Just because WE have failed does not mean it will never happen. We need to be in constant prayer with our Lord. We need to know if we have done all we can do. God will let us know. If we have done all we can, we need to trust God will not abandon this person. He will send someone else, then someone else, then someone else again. He will not give up. Our Failures will not deter him from working until all are saved. We might think of it as failure. It may just be a part of God's plan. 

Coaches are stubborn people. They hate to lose and they are always working to find ways to win. We need to always be looking for ways to win souls for Christ. We should leave no stone unturned. We need to fight for every lost soul. We need to open ourselves to the leading of God. God will use us for his purposes, in his time, with his definition of success. If we are in Christ, we can not fail!