Everyone wants to be successful.  The very first Christians give us some insight into being successful in Christ.  Luke put it very simply.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…

The beginning of success in the Christian’s life involves devotion to God and His Word.  The Greek word for “devoted” is “prokartereo,” and Strong gives us several meanings of the word.  The first part of his definition is “to be earnest toward.”  To be earnest is to be serious and intense about something.  That is how we should approach the Word of God.  The Bible is not a book produced by the intellect of man; it is a revelation that sets forth the mind of God.  There are too many people who approach the Bible as a guidebook to be referred to every once in a while rather than a book in which every word is taken seriously.  The early Christians did not tune out the words of the apostles after they were baptized but, instead, they listened intently to what they continued to teach.

Another definition of “devoted” given by Strong is “to adhere closely to.”  We should follow this example by the early church.  We must not only listen to the apostles’ teaching but also be determined to follow it.  The only path to successful living in Christ involves doing.  To believe anything else is self-deception.  James said, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).  Do not believe the devil’s lie that hearing, or even believing, is enough.  To be a successful Christian, you must do.

Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
²¹  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

The third part of Strong’s definition for “devoted” is “to persevere, be constantly diligent, or to continue.”  It is easy to follow the apostles’ teaching once in a while, but the key to successful living is to adhere to it every day.  That was a part of the early Christian’s devotion, and we, too, must have it.  Paul spoke of us being presented “holy and blameless and beyond reproach,” but only if we maintain our Christianity by daily living.

Colossians 1:22-23 (ESV)
²²  He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³  if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

These inspired words of Paul serve as a good commentary on what it means to be devoted to the apostles’ teaching.  It means to be stable and steadfast.  It means to “continue in the faith.”  To the Christians at Corinth Paul wrote, “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Being a successful Christian does not happen by accident.  It takes a determined effort.  It involves taking the Word of God seriously and applying it to our lives every day.  That is what the first Christians did.  Let us follow their example.  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.