Seven Rules of Success

Wayne Cordeiro Dr.

Description

How should I live? What am I supposed to do with my life? Sometimes, in this frantic, noisy world, it's difficult--or downright impossible--to tune in God to hear what He wants. But as this beautiful gift book evokes, the best advice for living is timeless! Popular pastor and author Wayne Cordeiro makes his book come alive with the ageless wisdom mined from six Bible characters. Through their lives--some lived well, others lived tragically in error--readers will discover valuable truths for living. To these character studies, Cordeiro adds his own experiences and stories that will help readers apply each particular life lesson. Readers will find biblical guidance and wise counsel for living life more fully.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 06 octobre 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441266149
• Langue: English

Extrait

2006 Wayne Cordeiro
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan. www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Bethany House Publishers edition published 2014
ISBN 978-1-4412-6614-9
Previously published by Regal Books
Ebook edition originally created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NASB —Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Other versions used are:
NIV —Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
NKJV —Scripture taken from the New King James Version . Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
NLT —Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Phillips — The New Testament in Modern English , Revised Edition, J. B. Phillips, Translator. © J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 866 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
TEV —Scripture quotations are from Today’s English Version. Copyright © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976. Used by permission.
C ONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Rule 1: Listen Well Mary of Bethany: Learning to Listen
Rule 2: Be Content King David: When Is Enough … Enough?
Rule 3: Live with Integrity Nicodemus: Going Public
Rule 4: Avoid Self-Righteousness Judas Iscariot: Fatal Choices
Rule 5: Choose to Forgive Absalom: A Case of Unforgiveness
Rule 6: Stand by Your Convictions Herod: Swayed by the Crowd
Rule 7: Maintain Healthy Relationships Abigail: Appeasing the King
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
T he Seven Rules of Success was a team effort—without the contributions of many, what you hold in your hands would not have been possible.
Thank you to the vibrant, hand-to-the-plow church called New Hope Christian Fellowship in Hawaii. This family of churches is made up of individuals who savor His presence in every aspect of life, and who serve with a smile that starts in the heart.
We are a “homeless church” that has to set up—and then dismantle what we just set up—more than 200 times every year. I never cease to be amazed by a group of grace-soaked saints we affectionately call our “Levites”; these incredible volunteers remind me so much of Jesus. I dedicate this book to these committed men and women who have not only allowed their hearts to be pierced by the truths of God’s call, but have also allowed their hearts to be squeezed until they bleed into every extremity … even when setup begins at 3 A.M.!
Thank you to Dawn O’Brien and her editing team, whose alchemy and wordsmithing can turn spills on burlap into masterpieces on silk.
Thank you also to our staff of willing-hearted servants in relentless pursuit of God’s best. Committed to eternal fruit, they give tirelessly and then say “thank you” for allowing them the privilege to do so! I am ever humbled by their reckless abandon.
And to the many mentors in my life who constantly support my weary hands when they want to fall limp. You have selflessly overlooked my flaws and helped me to focus the light on the King and, by doing so, have helped me learn lessons when you could have disqualified me altogether!
And thank you to my wife, Anna, who has been my dearest friend for more than 32 years. If given the chance, I’d marry you all over again!
I NTRODUCTION
W hat does an outdated book containing names I can’t even pronounce have to do with me?
Although you might not know it, the Bible is much more than an archaic book of history. It is living testament designed to mentor us in our marriages, relationships and problems. It gives warning signs that alert us to temptation. It can keep us from the pitfalls that have destroyed others. It is not full of fiction; it is packed with real people, people like you and me with a lot of character … but not necessarily good character! We can learn so much from them, both the good and the bad.
Take Herod for instance: His knees buckled under peer pressure and he murdered someone he respected … John the Baptist. Later, as if matters weren’t bad enough, Herod played a critical part in executing Jesus. First, the messenger, and then the Messiah.
And there’s King David, who took a “second look” at a married woman in his neighborhood, and his life was changed forever. Or Mary, sister to the original Martha Stewart. Add a dissatisfied worker (Judas); some sibling rivalry (Absalom); a fearful, questioning
Nicodemus; a woman (Abigail) who married a fool for a husband, and you’ve got your instructors for this short course in living.
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks (Heb. 11:4).
Although these biblical characters have died, their lessons have not. Their voices still speak, their scars have stories, and they can instruct us how to avoid violating the Rules of Success. These Veterans of Common Wars, with mistakes washed in tears and honed by time, can guide us new recruits to hopeful futures.
Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11).
Search through the fine pages of the Bible and you’ll find so much more than old stories; you’ll find life-changing gems that will impact your life, marriage and future. What you discover will influence the way you think. It will change your attitude and it will increase your ability to believe.
The path of the godly isn’t always a straight line, but when you follow God’s rules, you can be assured that the best is yet to come!
RULE 1
L ISTEN W ELL
MARY OF BETHANY: LEARNING TO LISTEN
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
L UKE 10:38 - 39, NIV

M illions of bits of information are relentlessly darting around you every moment of the day. An infinite array of waves are barraging and inundating you—radio waves, microwaves, television signals, cell phone frequencies, satellite transmissions—filling the very room you’re in, bouncing off of you right now. You can neither hear nor see them, unless you are tuned in with the right device.
Frequencies of information carrying global content pass through us painlessly and undetected … unless we choose to notice them by tuning in. Thanks to the wonders of technology, with a radio or television set we are able to hear and see the digitally enhanced wonders of life—from cooking shows to the latest epic movies.
A G REATER F REQUENCY
There is another frequency that many people never pick up. It doesn’t contain music or sitcoms. It carries the most life-changing information ever encountered. Filled with eternal direction and indispensable wisdom, these messages often go undetected.
They’re highly personal messages that carry sensitive information about you, your future and your potential. These messages even warn you of unknown weaknesses and instruct you in people skills.
The Divine Announcer
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
God is speaking directly to us. He has been since the beginning of time, long before we were born. He is sending out signals—instructions and guidance—targeted just for you. He’s sending you warnings of what is ahead in your life. He is delivering directions for your marriage, coaching you into your best future, and encouraging you through a season of despair.
The real question is not “Is God speaking?” Rather, it is “ Am I listening? ” His voice is all around us: speaking, warning, coaching, coaxing and correcting.
We live in a fast-paced, fast-forward world where busyness is equated with importance and success. In our society, hyperactively scurrying from one project to another communicates to others, “I am important!”
Carry a cell phone? You are normal. If you carry a cell phone, PDA and your cell phone is wirelessly attached to a Bluetooth device hanging on your ear, you must really be important!
But with all our “listening” devices, do we even know how to listen?
Only One Thing
A common malady today is ADD, what psychologists call Attention Deficit Disorder. This describes a person whose attention is short-termed and easily distracted. A similar phenomenon in Christian parlance is known as a Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder … or SADD (Quite an acronym!) We’re all prone to it. No one is immune from the SADD outbreak.
The only remedy is following the first Rule of Success: LISTEN. There is neither a pill we can take nor an antibiotic we can purchase; we must build it through discipline.
One person from whom we can learn the life lesson of listening is a woman named Mary, better known as one of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Through a snapshot of her life, we can learn how to sensitize our receptors to the eternal voice of our God.
Mary’s story is one of the most beloved in the Bible. Mary and