{"id":8992,"date":"2025-06-30T05:39:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T09:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nehemiah.pivotdev.com\/?p=8992"},"modified":"2025-06-30T05:40:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T09:40:28","slug":"assess-your-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nehemiahecommunity.com\/members\/devotionals\/assess-your-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Assess Your Success","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you consider yourself successful<\/strong>?
What methods are you using to measure your success<\/strong>?
Are you daily recognizing the Source of your success<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, \u201cLaunch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.\u201d But Simon answered and said to Him, \u201cMaster, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.\u201d And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. <\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Luke 5:4-7 (NKJV)<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
<\/em>\u2013 Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Assess Your Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Po Bronson, New York magazine writer and author of several books, once stated:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFailure is hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you\u2019re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronson is on to something! We must be cautious to guard our pursuit of success carefully, building with things that last and that carry eternal value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Luke 5:1-11<\/strong>, we meet some struggling businessmen<\/a> who worked in the fishing industry. They had been up all night, slaving away with their nets, and had come up with absolutely nothing to show for their long night\u2019s work. When daylight finally came, they disembarked from their boats and began washing their nets on the shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus, needing a place to teach that was away from the crowds but within hearing distance, climbed into one fisherman\u2019s boat \u2013\u00a0 a businessman by the name of Simon Peter. After speaking to the crowds, He made a proposal to Peter: \u201cLaunch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.\u201d <\/em>Peter patiently explained to Jesus that they had been doing just that for the entire night. However, he decided to give it a try. You know what happened next \u2013 his crew found themselves overwhelmed with fish!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you are following Jesus and obeying His Word, your labor is in vain. Simon obtained the huge catch of fish only<\/em> after obeying the instructions of Jesus. When we embark on the Kingdom business<\/a> ventures that God is calling us to, using our God-given skills and abilities, and as we begin to obey God\u2019s direction and guidance, He begins to bless our work and to cause us to succeed \u2013 His way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we begin to experience success in God\u2019s way, it brings us to a place of humility. \u201cWhen Simon Peter saw\u202fit,\u202fhe fell down at Jesus\u2019 knees, saying, \u2018Depart from me, for I am <\/em>
<\/em>a sinful man, O Lord!\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Luke 5:8)<\/strong> Simon looked at his weakness compared to God\u2019s strength, and could only respond by falling to his knees!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing God as the source of all success gives us the power and strength to give up our efforts to pursue worldly success. God calls us to trade worldly profit for Godly profit, trading in temporary treasure for treasure that has eternal value (Matthew 6:19-20)<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like Peter, we have the opportunity to give up today\u2019s temporal success for tomorrow\u2019s eternal reward<\/strong>: \u201cAnd Jesus said to Simon,\u202f\u2018Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.\u2019\u202fSo when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.\u201d<\/em> (Luke 5:10-11)<\/strong> Moments after landing that incredible catch of fish, notice what Peter did. He left it all to follow Jesus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, assess your success from God\u2019s point of view! <\/strong>Jesus isn\u2019t primarily concerned about how much profit a business makes or how successful we are.\u00a0 He cares more about how<\/em> we make a profit \u2013 in ways that align with His word \u2013 and what<\/em> we are doing with all that He has entrusted to us.

Are you using your temporary resources to bring about godly profit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godly profit and success:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n