4 Questions that Determine Our Success at Life

As many of you know, I am working on a new book on the priority of praise in our lives. Below is an excerpt from the introduction. Thanks for taking time to review it for me! ~ Dwayne

When you think of the greatest things in life to pursue, what comes to mind as possible candidates? Is it money and fame and pleasure? By their hedonistic lifestyles, many in our society apparently think that those are worthy of our pursuit. Or perhaps, it is isolation and separation from this world and a focus on purity in mind and body. The ascetics would certainly say that separatist living is man’s greatest quest. Then there are those who invest years of their lives in search of hidden and unknown treasures. Others believe there are secret truths and wisdom within the universe that only the most faithful and determined will ever discover and know. And, of course, there are the spiritualists, that large and popular group who speak often of “god” and “spiritual things.” For them, life’s most important pursuit seems to be ever-increasing spiritual knowledge that should somehow bring about more harmony and happiness to their world and their own personal lives.

But do any of these passionate pursuits really qualify as life’s greatest pursuit? Will any of these assure us a successful life? Might they instead be a mere “chasing after the wind,” as Solomon in Ecclesiastes described our futile attempts to find life’s purpose and goal apart from the Creator of life?

The Bible tells us that life’s greatest pursuit is not really about finding something. Rather, it starts with being found. Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” Before the earth and the heavens were made, He already had a plan and a purpose for us. God knew exactly when and how to draw each of us to faith and to salvation from our sins. He even knew whether or not we would say yes to His kind and generous offer.

Not only did Jesus choose us, in that same verse in John He goes on to say, “I…appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” When we place our trust in Him to be our Savior and our Lord, God starts us on a great adventure and gives us a clear and wonderful purpose for our lives. At the moment of our regeneration, at that very second we are reborn into God’s Kingdom, we begin a journey with Him. This journey on which He invites us should become for us a pursuit. It should so engulf us and preoccupy us that all other pursuits, all other goals in life have to fall in line far behind it. It should be to us life’s greatest pursuit toward life’s greatest purpose. It is an amazing, life-changing quest which will culminate and climax only when we arrive in heaven and we see Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth, face to face in all His glory.

Stop for a moment, now, and ask yourself the following four questions. Think carefully about them, for how you answer will determine whether you are, in fact, chasing after life’s greatest pursuit and will ultimately succeed at this “thing called life”…

• What should I want to attain in life?
• Where should I aim in life?
• How should I act in life?
• What should be my attitude toward this life?

To be continued in our next post…

• Excerpt from upcoming book by Dwayne Moore (c) 2007 by Dwayne Moore

Related article: A Successful Life Is a Worshiping Life