Two Keys to Success

May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance. - 2 Thessalonians 3:5

I have meditated often on possible keys to a successful life in Christ. While one might consider many factors (and certainly many others have) and keys to life in general, it seems any principle that addresses my relationship to Christ will also ensure success elsewhere.

In his prayer for the church at Thessalonica, Paul clearly stated his desire that the Lord would direct their hearts to two places: 1) God's love and 2) Christ's endurance. Why here?

First, God's love reminds us of His grace and forgiveness and, due to its unconditional nature, it also frees us to faithfully serve Him beyond our failures. Second, Christ's endurance is the absolute model of steadfast self-sacrifice that (if modeled) ensures our own faithful service beyond fleshly limits.

Clearly, if we want to be successful in this life, these two principles enable us to move on and move through, no matter the challenges we may face.

God may allow His servant to succeed when He has disciplined him to a point where he does not need to succeed to be happy. The man who is elated by success and is cast down by failure is still a carnal man. At best his fruit will have a worm in it. - A. W. Tozer