On true sucess.

Proverbs10:22NKJV"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it."

AWAKE! OCTOBER 2014

APPEARED IN

COVER SUBJECT | WHAT IS TRUE SUCCESS?

How to Achieve True Success

The Bible encourages a proper view of success. It does not teach that success is attainable only by a fortunate few. On the other hand, it does not endorse the storybook fantasy that if you simply ‘follow your dreams’ all your wishes will come true. That notion—which is all too often spoon-fed to children from an early age—will likely lead to disappointment.

The fact is, real success is within the grasp of anyone—but it requires effort. Consider the following principles.

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  WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
  “A lover of silver will never be satisfied with silver, nor a lover of wealth with income.”—Ecclesiastes 5:10.
  WHAT IT MEANS. A materialistic lifestyle does not guarantee satisfaction. In fact, it tends to do the opposite. “People whose primary motivations are financial are much more likely to be anxious and depressed than people who value strong relationships with others,” writes Dr. Jean M. Twenge in her book Generation Me. She adds: “Research consistently finds that money cannot buy happiness—after you reach a subsistence level, income is not significantly related to life satisfaction.”
  WHAT YOU CAN DO. Set as a goal something more rewarding than wealth and possessions. “Guard against every sort of greed,” Jesus said, “because even when a person has an abundance, his life does not result from the things he possesses.”—Luke 12:15.
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  WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
  “Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.”—Proverbs 16:18.
  WHAT IT MEANS. Ambition and conceit will not help you find true success. In fact, the book Good to Great notes that company leaders who have achieved long-term success “display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated. In contrast, two thirds of the comparison companies had leaders with gargantuan personal egos that contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the company.” The lesson? Thinking too much of yourself is more likely to lead to failure than success.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO. Instead of seeking prestige, cultivate modesty. The Bible says: “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself”—hardly an indicator of success!—Galatians 6:3.

• WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
  “There is nothing better for a man than to . . . find enjoyment in his hard work.”—Ecclesiastes 2:24.
  WHAT IT MEANS. If you develop a strong work ethic, you will likely enjoy your work more. In her book Teach Your Children Well, Dr. Madeline Levine writes: “Part of feeling successful at something is being good at it and most of being good at something has to do with effort and persistence.” That includes having the resilience to deal with occasional setbacks.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO. Work hard to become proficient, and do not give up when faced with obstacles. If you have children, give them (according to their age and ability) the opportunity to work through their problems. Do not be hasty to rush in and fix all their problems for them. Young people find genuine satisfaction—and acquire good training for adulthood—when they develop resilience.

• WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
  “A live dog is better off than a dead lion.”—Ecclesiastes 9:4.
  WHAT IT MEANS. If you work secularly, your job should be part of your life—but not your whole life. Really, how successful will you feel if you are at the top of your profession but lose your health or the respect of your family? People who are truly successful endeavor to keep their work, health, and family life in proper balance.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO. Take care of yourself. Get proper rest. There is little benefit in becoming a workaholic who sacrifices everything—health, family, and friendships—for false success.

• WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:
  “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need.”—Matthew 5:3.
  WHAT IT MEANS. Study of the Bible and application of its principles are essential ingredients in true success. In fact, millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses have found that putting spiritual matters first in their individual lives has reduced their anxieties over material interests.—Matthew 6:31-33.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO. Learn how the Bible can help you to find true success. For more information, contact Jehovah’s Witnesses locally or visit our Web site, www.jw.org.

“My Former Success Was Superficial”

Timothy and Charlotte lived in a large home with many rooms. They had a number of luxury cars and took several expensive vacations each year. Yet, at the height of their material success, they gave it up. Awake! asked Timothy what changed their thinking.

What kind of work were you doing?

I worked in the music industry and in accounting. Charlotte was a chiropractic assistant, and she also worked in banking. Later, we opened four barber shops. I was considered successful in all these endeavors. In fact, I hardly had to work because I had others working for me. Eventually, though, Charlotte and I decided to scale back. We sold much of what we owned.

Why did you “scale back”?

We could sense that we were not truly successful. The excitement that accompanied each purchase would quickly pass, leaving us feeling empty, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled.

How did you find true success?

As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I had always been active in the Christian ministry. Although for a time Charlotte and I were spending 70 hours each month teaching the Bible to others, the ministry was not actually the focus of our lives. So we sold our businesses and made ourselves available to serve wherever there was a need for more Bible teachers. Today we are serving at the United States branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since this is part of our ministry, I receive no pay and no special recognition. We have what we need materially. But that is not the focus of our life.

Do you feel more successful than before?

Absolutely. My former success was superficial. What I have now is bringing me lasting satisfaction because I know that the work I am doing is helping to take the Bible’s message to people worldwide and is improving their lives. *

Habakkuk NWT(2013 edition)

1 A pronouncement that Ha·bak′kuk* the prophet received in a vision:

 2 How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, but you do not hear?+

How long must I ask for help from violence, but you do not intervene?*+

 3 Why do you make me witness wrongdoing?

And why do you tolerate oppression?

Why are destruction and violence before me?

And why do quarreling and conflict abound?

 4 So law is paralyzed,

And justice is never carried out.

For the wicked surround the righteous;

That is why justice is perverted.+

 5 “Look among the nations and pay attention!

Stare in amazement and be astounded;

For something will happen in your days

That you will not believe even if it is told to you.+

 6 For here I am raising up the Chal·de′ans,+

The ruthless and impetuous nation.

They sweep through vast stretches of the earth

To seize homes not theirs.+

 7 They are frightening and fearsome.

They establish their own justice and authority.*+

 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,

And they are fiercer than wolves in the night.+

Their warhorses gallop forward;

Their horses come from far away.

They swoop down like the eagle rushing to feed.+

 9 All of them come bent on violence.+

The assembling of their faces is like the east wind,+

And they scoop up captives like sand.

10 They scoff at kings

And laugh at high officials.+

They laugh at every fortified place;+

They pile up a dirt ramp and capture it.

11 Then they move forward like the wind and pass through,

But they will become guilty,+

Because they credit their power to their god.”*+

12 Are you not from everlasting, O Jehovah?+

O my God, my Holy One, you do not die.*+

O Jehovah, you appointed them to execute judgment;

My Rock,+ you established them for punishment.*+

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on what is evil,

And you cannot tolerate wickedness.+

Why, then, do you tolerate the treacherous+

And keep silent when a wicked man swallows up someone more righteous than he is?+

14 Why do you make man like the fish of the sea,

Like creeping things that have no ruler?

15 All of these he* hauls up with a fishhook.

He catches them in his dragnet,

And he gathers them in his fishing net.

That is why he rejoices greatly.+

16 That is why he offers sacrifices to his dragnet

And makes sacrifices* to his fishing net;

For by them his portion is rich,*

And his food is choice.

17 Will he then keep emptying out his dragnet?*

Will he go on slaughtering nations without compassion?+

2 At my guardpost I will keep standing,+

And I will station myself on the rampart.

I will keep watch to see what he will speak by means of me

And what I will reply when I am reproved.

 2 Jehovah then answered me:

“Write down the vision, and inscribe it clearly on tablets,+

So that the one reading aloud from it may do so easily.*+

 3 For the vision is yet for its appointed time,

And it is rushing toward its end,* and it will not lie.

Even if it should delay,* keep in expectation of it!*+

For it will without fail come true.

It will not be late!

 4 Look at the one who is proud;*

He is not upright within himself.

But the righteous one will live by his faithfulness.*+

 5 Indeed, because the wine is treacherous,

The arrogant man will not reach his goal.

He makes his appetite* as large as the Grave;*

He is like death and cannot be satisfied.

He keeps gathering all the nations

And collecting for himself all the peoples.+

 6 Will not all of these speak a proverb, an allusion, and riddles against him?+

They will say:

‘Woe to him who accumulates what is not his

—For how long?—

And who makes even greater his own debt!

 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly?

They will wake up and violently shake you,

And you will become something for them to plunder.+

 8 Because you plundered many nations,

All the rest of the peoples will plunder you,+

Because of your shedding men’s blood

And your violence to the earth,

To the cities and those living in them.+

 9 Woe to the one who makes evil gain for his house,

So as to set his nest on the height,

To escape the grasp of calamity!

10 You have plotted shame against your house.

By wiping out many peoples you sin against yourself.*+

11 For a stone will cry out from the wall,

And from the woodwork a rafter will answer it.

12 Woe to the one who builds a city by bloodshed,

And who establishes a town by unrighteousness!

13 Look! Is it not from Jehovah of armies that peoples will work hard to feed the fire,

And that nations tire themselves out for nothing?+

14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah

As the waters cover the sea.+

15 Woe to the one who gives his companions something to drink,

Adding to it rage and anger, to make them drunk,

In order to look on their nakedness!

16 You will be glutted with dishonor rather than glory.

You too—drink and expose your uncircumcised condition.*

The cup in the right hand of Jehovah will come around to you,+

And disgrace will cover over your glory;

17 For the violence done to Leb′a·non will cover you,

And the destruction that terrified the beasts will come upon you,

Because of your shedding men’s blood

And your violence to the earth,

To the cities and those living in them.+

18 Of what benefit is a carved image

When its maker has carved it?

Of what benefit is a metal statue* and a teacher of lies,

Even though its maker trusts in it,

Making worthless gods that are speechless?+

19 Woe to the one who says to a piece of wood, “Awake!”

Or to a speechless stone, “Wake up! Instruct us!”

Look! It is overlaid in gold and silver,+

And there is no breath at all within it.+

20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple.+

Be silent before him, all the earth!’”+

3 The prayer of Ha·bak′kuk the prophet, in dirges:*

 2 O Jehovah, I have heard the report about you.

I am in awe, O Jehovah, of your activity.

In the midst of the years* bring it to life!

In the midst of the years* make it known.

May you remember to show mercy during the turmoil.+

 3 God came from Te′man,

The Holy One from Mount Pa′ran.+ (Selah)*

His majesty covered the heavens;+

With his praise the earth was filled.

 4 His brightness was like the light.+

Two rays flashed from his hand,

Where his strength was hidden.

 5 Before him went pestilence,+

And burning fever followed at his feet.

 6 He stood still and shook the earth.+

With a look, he made nations leap.+

The eternal mountains were smashed,

And the ancient hills bowed down.+

The paths of long ago are his.

 7 I saw trouble in the tents of Cu′shan.

The tent cloths of the land of Mid′i·an trembled.+

 8 Is it against the rivers, O Jehovah,

Is it against the rivers that your anger is burning?

Or is your fury against the sea?+

For you rode on your horses;+

Your chariots were victorious.*+

 9 Your bow is uncovered and ready.

The rods* are assigned with an oath.* (Selah)

You split the earth with rivers.

10 Mountains writhed in pain at the sight of you.+

A downpour of waters swept through.

The deep roared with its voice.+

It lifted its hands high.

11 Sun and moon stood still in their lofty abode.+

Your arrows went out like the light.+

The lightning of your spear was brilliant.

12 You marched through the earth with indignation.

You trampled* the nations in anger.

13 You went out for the salvation of your people, to save your anointed one.

You crushed the leader* of the house of the wicked.

It was exposed from the foundation to the top.* (Selah)

14 You pierced the head of his warriors with his own weapons*

When they stormed out to scatter me.

They were overjoyed to devour an afflicted one in secret.

15 Through the sea you trod with your horses,

Through the surging of vast waters.

16 I heard and I trembled within;*

At the sound my lips quivered.

Rottenness entered my bones;+

My legs beneath me were shaking.

But I quietly wait for the day of distress,+

For it is coming upon the people who attack us.

17 Although the fig tree may not blossom,

And there may be no fruit on the vines;

Although the olive crop may fail,

And the fields* may produce no food;

Although the flock may disappear from the pen,

And there may be no cattle in the stalls;

18 Yet, as for me, I will exult in Jehovah;

I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.+

19 The Sovereign Lord Jehovah is my strength;+

He will make my feet like those of a deer

And cause me to tread on high places.+