Happiness Completes Success

When God promised His people that He would make them a symbol and a source of blessing, he also promised to make them happy (v. 7). He would give them victory and make their hearts rejoice in Him (v. 7).  Biblical translators use happy and blessed interchangeably. 

    Real success is doing what you do best. If you do what you do best, you become content.  A few other benefits come with it. When you do what you do best, you become excellent in what you do until you become a sought-after person. You can only do this when you use whatever God gives you to the purposes he intended it for them.  Then, also, when you gain expertise and you have attracted others to yourself, you can live a life of influence. You fulfill your need of significance. We all want to have a life of worth.  God has created us with that image. Finally, when you are successful, you inspire others to succeed in life.  Then, you become what God has called you to be: a symbol and a source of blessing.

         God’s assures us success by giving us strength. His strength helps us become determined (Joshua 1:1-8). Most of the successes in life come through determination. God also makes us win battles and will ultimately give victory over our last enemy.  Death, according to the Bible, is our greatest and final enemy (1 Cor. 15:57).  The writer of Ecclesiastes sees life under the sun as meaningless because everything and everyone will come to an end  (2:15, 3:22, 4:13-16, 5:15, 6:12, 7:4, 8:8, 9:3, 10:14, 11:9, 12:7).  But instead of becoming depressed and pessimistic, Solomon uses the apparent impermanence and absurdities of life as incentives. He counsels people to enjoy their short life on earth but with the view that it came from God and will return to Him for a final judgment (12:7, 13; 2:24-26; 3:12-14, 22; 5:18; 6:9; 7:14;  8:15; 9:7; 11:9).  Happiness completes our success. We know we are successful because we derive meaning and therefore joy, in what we do with our earthly life.