3 years ago when I wrote and submitted my first article to a magazine, I had no concept of where it would take me. My first article was almost an accident, but it was one of the best accidents I ever made. My goal wasn’t to be an author, and in fact, writing was not my strong point and definitely not something I wanted to do more of than I had to.

That last couple years have been a growing, stretching and learning experience for me. Most of all, I have grown closer to God. I have grown closer to God because He has taken the time to lead me forwards and onwards. And now, looking back, I realize that God has been doing an awesome work in my life. But, what hurts most is when I discovered that self, yes that great dragon we all are well acquainted with, stands up and says, “Look what I have done.”

Friends, success is not measured by what we have done. It is measured by what God has done. And this is the topic I want to focus on today. I want to share what it is that gives us joy and happiness. I want to show you that we can be just as fulfilled at the first step as we are at the last. I want to show you that your accomplishments are not what measure your success.

Have you succeeded?

Well maybe in 20 years once I’ve reached all my currently set goals I’ll be able to say, “Yes, I’ve succeeded.” Maybe once I get elected as the Prime Minister I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.” Or… maybe, when it comes to the end of this day, I’ll be able to say, “I’ve succeeded.”

What is it that measures success? Is it the completion of this article I’m working on? Well, in a way I’ll have accomplished this goal and will have succeeded. I will have reached my intended destination. But friends, that’s not the success I refer to. Life is not all about reaching destinations. Life is about walking with God. Success is about walking with God.

A dear sister confided in me one day. She said, “David, I feel so left behind. Everybody is doing so much. People like Alex and Brett, like you, make me feel so… unable.”

And friends, I have my own list of people that make me feel incapable. Oh yes I do, and I fear it stretches much longer than it ought. But I want to tell you right now: that list does not matter. That list is irrelevant. Because it doesn’t measure our success.

The Yardstick

The yardstick of true success isn’t actually a yardstick at all; rather, it’s a heartstick. If you want to know how you are succeeding in life, there’s only one thing to do, examine your heart. See if your hand is in God’s hand, if your heart is trusting Him, if your ears are hearing His voice. And when we do this, we don’t need other people to tell us of our achievements to know that we are succeeding.

But on that note, how can we truthfully say, “I have succeeded”? What have we done that counts to success? When God takes us and leads us, when he calls us and we obey, what counts as success? It’s faith, it’s obedience, it’s believing God! It’s the same faith, the same obedience that God put in our hearts in the first place. Truly, we love him only because He first loved us. Truly, there is nothing that I have done. But yet, I have succeeded. I have succeeded, by grace. Oh, the joy of mercy, the wonder of grace.

The Joy in Success

Friends, there is a glory in success. There is a joy that passes all understanding. When we’re walking with God, He is our joy. We don’t need to pursue anything else for our pleasure. We don’t need to reach any other height for greater exhilaration, we don’t need to climb to any other position where we will be more famous. In this place, friends, with our hand in God’s hand, is where we ought to be. If you’re the president or the plumber, you’ll still have succeeded.

Called out of your Comfort Zone

Recently I wrote the article, “The Best You Have”, and I covered the topic of our efforts, our energy, and how that relates in God’s plan for our success. You may ask me now, “How does giving God the best that I have change my life if all that matters is our walk with God?” I’m pretty sure that question was on somebody’s mind, because it was on mine, but there’s a simple answer. It is God’s will that we give him our best and our all, therefore, in my life this translates directly to a matter of obedience. Friend, if you’re not giving God everything, you’re missing out on so much. If you are, you’re missing out on nothing. When God has our life to work with, our best devoted to His glory, He can do awesome things. Friends, that’s success.

And there’s an incredible exhilaration when God calls us to run with Him. It reminds me of the first time (only time) I went skiing. First, I took a lesson and learned how to ski. Then I spent an hour on the small slope. Then I went for the larger slope. Oh my, oh my, I fell a few times on my first trip down. But finally, on the second trip down the hill, somehow I relaxed. Once I relaxed, the thrill was incredible, and I wasn’t falling down. No. I was racing down, with the wind in my face, my poles at my side, cutting across, cutting back, swooping down into line for the next ride back up.

But what happened? When did I begin enjoying it? When I gave up on my fears, and relaxed. I know it’s a poor illustration. But friends, when we’re ready to give up our fears, when we’re ready to relax and let God take control…

He’ll give us the ride of our life!

Well, I just got in 5 minutes (read: 7 days) ago. I’ll give you a quick summary of our trip and we’ll be right back to regular programming, starting tomorrow.

We left home 5:30 am on Friday, and got back 10 days later at 12:00 am on Sunday. God blessed me so much on this trip. From the wedding in Tennessee to the family camp in Indiana, God used many people to touch my life and convict me, as well as to strengthen and encourage me. I’m looking forwards to sharing some of the lessons God has taught me over the coming weeks.

The family camp meeting was the best and I hope to be interviewing a few of the speakers right here on Oneway Purpose. Stay tuned!

The next best was the wedding. And then of course, spending time together as a family, driving. See! (I rarely sit in the back, but when I do, my little sisters love it. Sometimes to the chagrin of the rest of my wanting-to-be-sleeping family.)

Well everybody, there won’t be much here for the next 10 days. Our family is taking a bit of a holiday, and we’re driving down to Tennessee, then to Indiana, then back home. It’s going to be wonderful, meeting friends again, and even… having a lot of time to read and write while we travel. (I never travel read-only)

So. While I’m gone, explore the archives. Call in your questions 1.206.202.4631, email suggestions, or just wish us well as we travel.

See ya!

One short moment, one flicker of light, a few short breaths, and we’re gone. Gone into eternity. It’s sobering to realize how much depends on these few moments, how much of the future is suspended on the present, always standing on the edge of time, never knowing when it will stop for us.

Don’t Waste your Life

So many teenagers have no concept of life, of the eternal consequences of their choices. I stand at the window and see so many of my age group entirely desensitized, numbed, unrealizing, and uncaring of their future.

Why? Why? Why do we want to waste our life?... this life which isn’t ours at all. We want to step out and claim we are our own, but God tells us the opposite. He lays his hand on our shoulder and says, “You, you are not your own.” And then he bends down close and looks us straight in the eyes and adds, “You, You! Were bought with a price.” We are His! We are not our own. We cannot do whatever we want.

And yet, in an almost painful sense, we can. He has entrusted us with it all. He does not always stand in our way when we reject his purchase. Satan has sold his lie to the whole world. In the place of Stewards we have become thieves. What hope is there for us then? None, nothing but grace, nothing but faith, faith that God can change us from a thief to a servant, from a sinner to a saint, from old to new. Faith in His crimson blood that can wash us white as snow, faith in His salvation, that salvation which takes us back… as His own.

His own… And now he asks us to serve Him, to be a faithful steward of our lives. And there’s so much that entails. There are so many areas where our stewardship is illustrated. It shows in what we spend our time doing, it shows in how we talk, it shows in how we live, most of all… it shows in where we put our devotion. Ultimately our heart loyalty is shown in every aspect of our life.

Keep thy Heart

Long ago, a wise King of Israel wrote these words, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The first word is loaded with so much meaning. Keep, guard, protect… like the watchman over the city, like the gate keeper over the gate, like a mother over her child, like a soldier over his life. “Guard it!” “Fight for it.” “Do battle!” But never be found asleep with your sword uselessly lying at your side, never, not even for a moment. For at that instant, the enemy shall fall upon you.

Solomon was dead serious, as a king, he knew all about diligent and slothful gatekeepers. He knew about those who did not stand guard like they ought. He also knew about the heroic sentries who devoted all their energies to watching, spying, guarding, protecting his city, his throne. When he said ‘all’ he meant ‘all’, in fact, the Hebrew word is even stronger, ‘the whole, in every sense, in every way’... be diligent.

‘For out of it are the issues of life.’ That one phrase could be the subject of a sermon. Is it possible that our heart devotion, who we serve… can change us, can affect us so completely. Is it possible that what we do, what we are, what we say, what we think, and how we live is dictated by where our heart is?

Indeed! And this is where Satan targets us directly. He wants us to put our heart devotion into anything, anything but God. He would rather see it focused on a movie star, on a car, on fleshly desires, on anything, anywhere, anyone but God. Why? Satan wants your life to be wasted. Don’t kid yourself. He is in a moment-by-moment battle for your devotion, your joy, and your loyalty.

The Other David

A few months ago, my very namesake discovered me. Of the very few David Boskovic’s in the world (As far as I know they all still fit on one hand.) one discovered me online. Oh the stark contrast in our lives, oh how he felt the difference. He blogged about me, writing words that reflected the pain he felt, too vulgar to remember.

We are both teens, both young, both with a life in front of us, but one of us is wasting it. In the depth of drugs, street life, sexual sin, vulgar living, he discovered me, and dumped on me his load of anger. How could another David Boskovic exist other than himself, why did he have to be a religious fanatic… a God worshipper, some type of person who wrote about that Jesus guy. Impossible! I must be out to ruin him. I wrote a short comment in reply, and I pray that God may use me to reach him someday. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday, maybe someday when God has prepared his heart.

Until then, I’ll keep praying.

My Generation

When I see what my generation is doing with their time, it hurts. The same problem has been around forever, but in the last century it has expanded to grand proportions. Life is being wasted, so many lives, wasted on pleasure, wasted in the face of drugs, wasted in a life of self-centered pleasure, worst of all, wasted away from God. I ask why, but then my heart cries out, because I know why. They cry, because they have no idea why, no idea what they’re doing. Some live a life of proud success, but they live it alone, they live it wasted. All find themselves something else to live for, somebody else to serve, but they all waste their life. Others end their life by themselves, in a wasted ruin, because they took life alone. They lived for something else, somebody else. They died the same way they lived… wasted. I search my own life, and I realize how easy it is to waste it. I realize that I must say, “But for the grace of God, go I.”

And it’s that grace of God that we are ultimately given stewardship of. Our ultimate task is to live for God’s glory, by his all-sustaining grace. Our ultimate task is to show others God’s mercy in our life, to show, to tell, to explain that any other way is a waste of life. Any other loyalty is a counterfeit loyalty. Any other pleasure is a forgery. Any other path leads down. Who shall tell them?

A steward of grace.