The Art Of Success

Proverbs 3:1-3 (New International Reader's Version)

1 My son, do not forget my teaching. Keep my commands in your heart.
2 They will help you live for many years. They will bring you success.
3 Don't let love and truth ever leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. 

Isn't it amazing the number of programs that are out there claiming to have the key to success?

The majority of these programs tout a secret formula that you can obtain, for a price, allowing you to unlock the door to success beyond your wildest imagination. Usually the only successful result is the money that the author earned from their book royalties and your wallet is a few dollars emptier. This may sound rather cynical on my part but these get rich quick schemes rarely work and usually require some sort of moral compromise on the part of the user to achieve its intended monetary goals.

Success is defined as: the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted.
Art is defined as: skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties.

There are actual keys to success that are already available to you and you may even own the book. The main difference from the other type is that these require a dissimilar set of goals and attitudes before we can even begin to apply them. The book that I'm referring to is the Bible and the process is better described as an art because we practice it rather than instantly receive the wisdom behind it. The most unusual aspect is that we benefit from their initial application and the results are eternal.   

If I were to derive a description of the art of success from the above definitions, it could be written as:

The skills learned from applying the commandments of God in our lives to achieve His desired goals for us.

This could never be accomplished without the love of God and truth of His Word, which we should always carry with us. He writes it on the inside, through the Holy Spirit, so that we can wear it on the outside. People should see God's love in us, it should be apparent, especially to those who are around us every day, our families.

I don't believe that I'm covering any new ground here, but we often overlook the obvious when it's right in front of us. God has already painted the picture, now it's time to admire His artwork.

The art of success.

Let's give the Artist His due.