successful

1 Chronicles 28 – How to Accomplish More

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How do they do it? The movers. The shakers. The accomplishers. The Bill Gates. The Steve Jobs. The Walt Disneys. The Jeff Bazos. How do they do it?

In 1 Chronicles chapter 28, we’re privileged to listen in as one accomplisher hands down instructions to his successor. King David, the shepherd boy turned world-renowned leader, shares with his son Solomon what he needs to know to successfully carry on the work.

First, David covers the personal aspect of being an accomplisher.

He reminds Solomon to not forget personal history. David reminds Solomon of how God has been active in their personal history. (1 Chron. 28:2-7)

Then, David points to the need for personal growth. He urges Solomon to know the God of his ancestors, worship God personally, and serve God with a whole heart and a willing mind.

In the second half of the chapter, David moves from the personal aspect of being an accomplisher to the project aspect of being an accomplisher.

He points to project preparation. In 1 Chron. 28:11-19, David gives Solomon all the advance plans and preparations he (David) had made. David had spent time planning and preparing for every part of the project…long before the project actually got underway.

And finally, David points to project growth. He encourages Solomon not to get overwhelmed or discouraged by the size of the work, but rather to courageously move forward in the work, trusting God for guidance and completion.

Though we may never rule a nation, plan a battle, or build a major edifice, everything we need to accomplish can come to pass if we follow David’s example: (1) remember our personal history, (2) commit to personal growth, (3) prepare for the project ahead of us, and (4) consistently push toward project growth rather than getting overwhelmed or discouraged.

So, if you want to be more of an accomplisher, I encourage you to follow these four strategies of David.

1 Samuel 18-19 – How to be Successful

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If you type “success” in Amazon’s search bar, you will come up with over 100,000 hits! Why? Because we all want to be successful. We want success in marriage, in parenting, in business, in love, in finances…in everything!

Even churches fall prey to the scramble for success. A church staff will visit other churches that are considered “successful” in hopes of determining the secret to their success. Then that staff races back to their church to implement those success formulas…hoping to to become the “successful” church others want to visit.

But grasping for success can prove as difficult as nailing Jell-O to a tree.

1 Samuel chapters 18 and 19 give us the picture of two men…David and Saul. David steadily becomes more successful, while Saul steadily becomes less successful.

What’s the difference between these two men?

1 Samuel 18:14 tells us the Lord was “with David.” The Lord aligned Himself with David, because David aligned himself with the Lord. (1 Sam. 13:13-14)  In contrast, the Lord pulled away from Saul, because Saul pulled away from the Lord. (1 Sam. 13:13-14) (1 Sam. 15:10-11) (1 Sam. 15:22-23)

It’s always easier to fall down a hill than to climb up one. It’s easy to be like Saul and allow a little self focus, a little jealousy, and a little fear to subtly send you into an increasingly downward spiral. But God calls us back from that kind of drift.

True success comes from being “with” the Lord, and He “with” you. (James 4:8) You may achieve temporal, momentary, materialistic success apart from being “with” the Lord, but it will never be a deep, abiding success that remains irrevocable in the face of circumstances.

So, always remember… in your search for success, it doesn’t matter how much talent, ability, resources, charisma, creativity, or passion you may have. If God is not “with” you, you lose.