JUNE 17, 2026

  "Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it” 

― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

NEHEMIAH 4-6

9They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

10One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you—by night they are coming to kill you.”

11But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” 12I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.

14Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophet Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. 15So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.(6:9-15)

 

ACTS 2:14-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

JOURNAL 

Nehemiah faced relentless opposition. The enemies of the wall did not simply attack the work. They tried to wear him down through distraction, manipulation, and fear. Yet Nehemiah remained focused because he understood his purpose. Rather than retreating into self-preservation, he prayed for strength and continued the work God had given him. The wall was completed in just fifty-two days, not because Nehemiah was pursuing success, but because he was faithfully pursuing his calling.

The same pattern appears in the early church in Acts. The believers devoted themselves to God, to one another, and to the mission before them. Their lives were marked by generosity, joy, and sincere hearts. As they lived as a community shaped by God's Spirit, people were drawn to what they saw. Growth was not the goal. It was the result of a people living in alignment with God's purpose.

That idea has become increasingly clear to me. I want my life to be an outpost of Heaven, a place where God's presence flows through me into the people around me. Viktor Frankl captured this truth when he wrote that success cannot be pursued directly. It emerges as the byproduct of dedication to something greater than oneself.

Frankl's words deeply impacted me during a season when many of the things I had built my identity around seemed to be falling apart. I had spent years pursuing success, believing it would provide meaning, security, and fulfillment. Instead, I often found myself anxious, striving, and exhausted. Gradually, through both Frankl's insights and the work of God's Spirit in my life, I began to see success differently.

Scripture teaches that God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline rather than fear. When I live from that Spirit, I no longer have to control outcomes or seek validation from others. My role is simply to be faithful to what God has placed before me. Whether I am teaching a class, coaching a team, mowing the yard, encouraging a friend, or leading a project, my purpose remains the same: to receive God's love and allow it to flow through me.

Success then becomes something entirely different. It is not measured by achievements, recognition, or results. It is measured by faithfulness. It is the quiet confidence that comes from knowing I am walking in step with God's purpose. The outcomes belong to Him.

Today I am grateful. I have breath in my lungs, people I love, meaningful work to do, and a Father who knows me completely and loves me fully. That is enough. My aim is not success. My aim is to be a conduit of God's Spirit, living with purpose, power, love, and discipline. If success comes, it will come as the natural fruit of a life surrendered to Him.

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7