King Solomon was a pretty successful guy. It is recorded he had 1,400 chariots, 12,000 horsemen and that during his reign silver and gold was as plentiful as stones. (2 Chronicles 1:14-15).
In today’s dollars, that is like 500 Ferraris, 500 Porsches, a Bentley and enough gold and silver to hire Bill Gates as your chauffeur. So, I’m guessing dude knew something about success, probably more than the self-help guys who are ready to pawn their secrets to you on late night television for $19.95–if you call right now, of course.
Here’s what Solomon said about success: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage.” (Proverbs 21:5). There are two things here, says Solomon, that lead “surely” or “certainly” to success.
First, is a plan. I know in some churches, planning is considered unspiritual. However, the reality is if we don’t plan, the inertia of our falleness will carry us right to the couch, where we will sit for hours watching Oprah or whatever brain candy is being transmitted over the satellite. Even the Lord, who I’m confident everyone will admit is “spiritual,” plans: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The second part of Solomon’s success advice is diligence. It’s not plans per se that lead to advantage, but the plans of the diligent. Diligence is hard work over time. It’s not enough to simply make plans; you must work them over the long haul, stick with them and not quit. These two things in combination, says Solomon, are the keys to success.
So, make your New Year’s resolutions. Write them down, and plan on what you need to do to achieve them by the end of the year. Then work them. And on December 31, 2011, you can celebrate your success. GS