True Success

Ezekiel 2:6-7 "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious."

True Success

If I asked you if you wanted to be successful today, undoubtedly your answer would be, "Yes!" None of us want to fail, even in the smallest of tasks. But what really constitutes success? We associate success with meeting goals we have in mind, but what constitutes success in the eyes of God?

Let's take a look at the calling of Ezekiel in this chapter. Verse 3 gives God's commission to Ezekiel: "Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day." Ezekiel's calling was not going to be the easy or rewarding. Often in the Bible, God sends His people up against tremendous odds! Here He tells Ezekiel that the people to which He must go are rebellious, impudent, and stiffhearted. And on top of that, they had been this way for generations!

Verse 4 gives God's command. He says, "I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD." Ezekiel was simply called to go and be God's messenger to these people.

Verse 5 reveals to us what constitutes success in the eyes of God: "And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them." Did God constitute Ezekiel's success upon the people's response? No. In fact, He does not give Ezekiel any sort of promise of "fruit." God judged Ezekiel's success by whether he did what God had told him to do. Success is measured by our obedience to God!

The road would not be easy for Ezekiel to travel-and in the eyes of man, Ezekiel's life would appear to be a waste. But were men like Ezekiel and Jeremiah (another rejected prophet who saw little fruit) truly successful?

Well, what is the goal? Obedience to God. Then, yes, both of these men were a success in the eyes of God! Many very gifted and talented people have made it onto the pages of history books or have gained wealth and fame, but they have not obeyed God. When they stand before their Creator, they will not be deemed successful.

God values a man or woman who obeys His calling with the gifts that He bestows on them.What about you? Are you successful in the eyes of God? Truthfully, it is His opinion that matters most. Ezekiel did not see masses of people respond to his preaching, but He did what God had called Him to do. That is true success!


Prayer Requests:
1. West Branch Families on the Move Conference in Santa Maria, CA (Oct. 17-18)
2. Revival services tonight in Danville, IL.

For more information about the Bill Rice Ranch visit our website: billriceranch.org