Keep On Truckin'

By Alexandra Copeland

A successful life isn’t a success unless it feels that way to you. There’s something within each person’s soul that knows when they’ve reached a place in life called ‘fulfillment’. For most of us, fulfillment isn’t a constant or continuous state of being, but it is a quest that leads us on the journey we were created by God to take. Once we hit one mark and achieve some degree of success, it is inevitable there will be another one to hit; each one taking us higher in what is sure to be our morphing definition of success. And most importantly, each mark we hit will take us closer to God as we seek intimacy in our relationship with Him. So, the questions that should drive us every day is how we will define success, and do we really believe it is achievable.

We should know that its possible to have all the gifts, skills, and abilities to be successful, and to use these gifts, skills, and abilities to earn a lot of money and acquire many luxurious things. We can do all of this and still not feel successful. To this end, you and I can surmise, and there are many witnesses in history that will attest, that success cannot be defined by how much money a person has, nor can it be defined by the quantity or quality of stuff they own. Success is defined by the connection between a greater understanding of our purpose and making use of the opportunity to carry this purpose forward. It is the confidence of knowing you’re on a purposeful path and using every day afforded to you to stay on it. God’s plan makes absolutely certain that opportunities will open up for us, but in order that we don’t miss them, we must be committed to walk in purpose according to His Divine Will and Word. 

Life makes it overwhelmingly and abundantly clear that humans are incapable of defining their own purpose. The definition of ‘tragic’ is the belief that we can. Left to our own devices we cannot make our way towards love, joy, and peace. History proves what we would do to one another if God’s grace had not saved us time and time again. Only God can give us a destiny and a purpose to fulfill. Any cynicism or skepticism against this truth will only serve to further blind us from it. He tells us in Ephesian 1:11(NIV), “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” Through the Lord Jesus Christ, God has chosen us. Everything about us was predestined long before we were born. So not only does God want us to have success in life but abiding by His plan will help us to achieve it. Our only responsibility is to believe what He tells us in His Word.  

God has predestined all things. He knew every move we would make. He works out everything so that the purpose of His Will is achieved. He will not violate our free-will choices and force us to do, think, feel, or say things in conformity with His Will. It is our prerogative to do whatever we want, but we were created for the expressed purpose of aligning our wills with the Will of the Father. It is the greatest privilege and honor we will ever have, and it will, and forever be the formula for our success. 

When we align our wills with God’s Will, we transfer ourselves out of the environment of normal and step into the arena of His extraordinary love, peace, and power. This is what He desires. He wants to show us the bounty of His love and blessings. So, it should be no surprise to us that He is always and forever rooting for our success. Proverbs 2:7(NIV) says, “He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.” He is a shield for those who walk through their lives by following the roadmap of His Word. This means that He will protect us from anything that seeks to interfere with us doing His Will. He will handle it for us, and we can keep on truckin’; living life to the fullest according to His Will and Word. 

Many of the heartaches and problems we experience is because we have veered off the path of God’s purpose. It is impossible to be our authentic selves without walking according to the truth for which we were born. 1Corinthians 6:19(NLT) tells us, “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.” We belong to God. He created us to be His sons and daughters, and siblings of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God has woven within our makeup the very thing that will bring us the greatest fulfillment and success in life. Our responsibility is to achieve all He has in store for us. The way to do this is to believe His Word and to follow the leadership of His Spirit as we seek to know His purpose and commit to His Will. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.