HOW TO COPE WITH SUCCESS (1)

TOPIC: HOW TO COPE WITH SUCCESS (1)
TEXT: 2 SAMUEL 8:15-18
MEMORY VERSE: "O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory " – Psalm 98:1

Most of the books on self-improvement seem to be either on how to be successful or how to cope with failure. Typical titles include Formula for Total Success, The Art of Winning, Born to Win, You Can Excel, and The Success System That Never Fails. Books tell how to cope with stress, fatigue, low self-esteem, depression, difficult people, anger, abuse, fear, and sorrow. Apparently, no books tell how to cope with success. Guidance in dealing with success is, however, one of our greatest needs. When disaster strikes, let floods destroy farms and homes, let fire rage through a community, and we rally around those affected. We sacrifice time, money, and energy to assist them. It is when things go well that we turn into competitive fiends, scratching and clawing our way to the top, using people and then discarding them. When success comes, we lose our perspective.

Everyday we complain about the economic situation, but we are still better off than 99% of the people around us. We complain about how hard we have to work, but we have more leisure time than our fathers had. With our money and leisure time, we have, in effect, “reached the top,” yet many of us are “hitting the bottom.”How can we cope with success? Let us glean some suggestions on how to be successful without losing our souls from the life of David.

David was successful—as warrior, statesman, and king. As we review the record of his successes, look for factors that enabled him—and can enable us—to make it to the top without losing what is most important in life. 1. Never forget who give you success (Deuteronomy 8:18). David never forgot the One who gave him victory, in all David’s ways, He acknowledged God (Psalm 60:12). 2. Be a man of organization. For the fact that you do not have what to cook does not mean you should have a dirty kitchen. David was a great administrator. David was an able administrator who knew how to delegate authority. Joab was over the army. David had a “recorder” who kept him abreast of what was happening and was his herald, communicating the king’s edicts to the people. Zadok and Ahimelech served as chief priests. A royal secretary was responsible for recording and preserving official documents. David also utilized his sons in his government. Second Samuel 8:18 calls them “chief ministers,” while 1 Chronicles 18:17 calls them “chiefs at the king’s side.”If you would know what an amazing organizer David was, read 1 Chronicles 23—27.

Word Affirmation: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply - Genesis 1:28 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“Never forget who give you success”

Central Truth