Joshua 1:8 (NKJV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Christians ought to strike a balance between either believing that prosperity and success are irrelevant or over-focusing on them, but instead be established on the truth that they are part of the holistic prosperity that God has promised us. As we walk the long road of recovery out of COVID-19, it is important to keep our hope and anchor our faith in the provision of God by focusing on Him and His Word.
According to the Bible dictionary, prosperous means accomplishing satisfactorily what is intended, or a successful venture. Success, on the other hand, primarily means to act with insight, to be prudent, to prosper, and to understand.
Joshua was called to lead the people of Israel to conquer the land with the help of God. We may have different callings, but based on the above definitions, when we are led by the Spirit of God, our ventures are also to be successful because we will have good insight, be prudent and wise. No Bible character who was called by God has ever experienced lack. So, if we agree on the truth that being prosperous and successful means all the above, we should be doing well in our calling, and we will also be well-provided materially. The Israelites not only enjoyed financial prosperity upon entering the promised land, but they also had peace from their enemies. At the end of his life, Joshua reminded the people that God had been faithful in fulfilling all His promises.
One important difference, however, is that Joshua and the Israelites were operating in the Mosaic covenant—a conditional covenant whereby blessings would only come upon them if they did everything in the law. In contrast, we live in the New Covenant established by the blood of Jesus, whereby all the curses of sin and disobedience had been placed on Jesus at the cross, and we have the empowerment of Holy Spirit to walk and act righteously. Therefore, what is required of us is to live a consecrated life by walking in the perfect will of God, in order to be immovable and unshakable.
As we live out our callings, we have the same promises as Joshua to be prosperous and successful. What’s more, as New Testament believers, Jesus asked all the weary and heavy laden to come to Him because His yoke is easy and His burden light, so we can rest in the Lord because He has achieved everything and blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Therefore, let’s stop identifying ourselves in our doing but in our being to enjoy our holistic prosperity.
Sermon Series: Work on Your Well-Being (Part 2)
寄望于神所应许的亨通及成功
约书亚记 1:8这律法书不可离开你的口，总要昼夜思想，好使你谨守遵行这书上所写的一切话。如此，你的道路就可以亨通，凡事顺利。
把亨通与成功视作无关紧要，还是过度关注，基督徒需要对此保持一个不偏不倚的态度，并且要站立在这样一个真理之上，就是这些都属于上帝应许赐给我们的全面兴盛的一部分。当我们跋涉在这漫长的COVID-19康复之路时，重要的是藉着注目上帝及祂的话语，我们要将希望与信心锚定在上帝身上，信靠祂的供应。
根据圣经词典，亨通意味着圆满完成预期的目标，或是一次成功的冒险。另一方面，成功主要意味着以洞察力行事、谨慎持重、凡事亨通并且懂得。
约书亚蒙召带领以色列人在上帝的帮助下征服这片土地。我们的呼召或许不同，但根据上述定义，当我们被上帝的灵带领时，我们的冒险也会成功，因为我们会有敏锐的洞察力、谨慎和智慧。圣经中没有一个蒙神呼召之人曾经经历过缺乏。所以，如果我们同意亨通和成功意味着以上所列出的全部选项，我们应该在我们蒙召去做的事上得心应手，也会得到充足的物质供应。以色列人在进入应许地时不仅享受了经济的繁荣，而且还与敌人和平共处。约书亚在他生命的尽头提醒以色列人，神始终都信实地兑现了祂所有的应许。
然而重要的区别是，约书亚和以色列人践行的是摩西之约——这是一个有条件的约，即只有当他们按照律法行事时，祝福才会临到他们。相比之下，我们生活在由耶稣的宝血所建立的新约中，所有因罪恶和悖逆所招致的诅咒都被放在了十字架上的耶稣身上，我们就藉着圣灵的权能来按公义行事。因此，神所要求我们的是行在祂完美的旨意中，好活出分别为圣的生命，如此我们才能坚定不移，岿然不动。
当我们活出呼召时，我们就拥有了和约书亚一样的亨通和成功的应许。不仅如此，耶稣叫一切劳苦担重担的新约信徒都来到祂这里，因为祂的轭是容易的，祂的担子是轻省的，所以我们可以在主里安息，因为祂已经成就了一切，并将天堂所有的属灵祝福都赐给了我们。因此，让我们停止以自己的行为定义自己，而是按照我们的身份享受我们的全然兴盛。
讲章系列：为你的幸福而努力（第二部分）