The world’s idea that everyone, from childhood up, should be able at all times to succeed in measurable ways, and that it is a great disgrace not to, hangs over the Christian community like a pall of acrid smoke.

–J.I. Packer, A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom From the Book of Nehemiah, p. 206.

HT: Between Two Worlds

We hear over and over again things like, “You can do whatever you put your mind to.” Or, “If you can see it, you can do it.” Or Philippians 4:13 is quoted within the Christian ranks, without quoting Philippians 4:11-12. These are most often quoted either by parents to their kids who want to see them succeed so they can be proud of them or by people who are already highly “successful”.

We can see the negative results of this on many levels. Anyone watching the XXXX Idol shows can see that many people who audition truly think they have a lot of talent because after all, they’ve put their mind to it and worked really hard (or not) and they don’t understand that it takes God given talent, the right circumstances, God’s providence (even for non-Christians, I believe) etc.

We can make good decisions and work hard to try to do well at what we enjoy as a vocation but we can’t control our own fate.

Jeremiah 10:23 NET
LORD, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.

Christians are quick to spread glory stories, but disappointments tend to be brushed under the carpet because we don’t want to discourage anyone at church or be a bad commercial at work. But God isn’t like us. He doesn’t get insecure about His performance, and He never asks us to cover up for Him.

–Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer

I believe success is: spiritual maturity. Working out our own salvation by God’s grace.

The Irish Calvinist reviews a book called In My Place Condemned He Stood. In it he says, “The introduction into John Owen’s The Death of Death [in the Death of Christ] is worth the book.” I did some looking around and found this to be available at various web sites:
http://www.all-of-grace.org/pub/others/deathofdeath.html
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/owen/deathofdeath.html

Introduction and the book by Owen:
http://www.lgmarshall.org/Owen/owen_deathtable.htm

In My Place Condemned He Stood is a new book and I look forward to reading that one someday.

I always thought that God’s providence means that He will provide. Apparently I got that wrong, probably in part because the word provide is within the word providence.

In the book Trusting God by Jerry Bridges, he quotes J.I. Packer defining it as:

The unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory.

Jerry Bridges himself has developed a more succinct version:

God’s providence is His constant care for and His absolute rule over all his creation for His own glory and the good of His people.

For further reference and Scripture:

Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary
Providence
literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God’s preserving and governing all things by means of second causes (Ps. 18:35; Ps. 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). God’s providence extends to the natural world (Ps. 104:14; Ps. 135:5-7; Acts 14:17), the brute creation (Ps. 104:21-29; Matt. 6:26; Matt. 10:29), and the affairs of men (1 Chr. 16:31; Ps. 47:7; Prov. 21:1; Job 12:23; Dan. 2:21; Dan. 4:25), and of individuals (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:30; Luke 1:53; James 4:13-15). It extends also to the free actions of men (Ex. 12:36; 1 Sam. 24:9-15; Ps. 33:14-15; Prov. 16:1; Prov. 19:21; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 21:1), and things sinful (2 Sam. 16:10; 2 Sam. 24:1; Rom. 11:32; Acts 4:27, 28), as well as to their good actions (Phil. 2:13; Phil. 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:22-25). As regards sinful actions of men, they are represented as occurring by God’s permission (Gen. 45:5; Gen. 50:20. Comp. 1 Sam. 6:6; Ex. 7:13; Ex. 14:17; Acts 2:3; Acts 3:18; Acts 4:27-28), and as controlled (Ps. 76:10) and overruled for good (Gen. 50:20; Acts 3:13). God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good. The mode of God’s providential government is altogether unexplained. We only know that it is a fact that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions; that this government is universal (Ps. 103:17-19), particular (Matt. 10:29-31), efficacious (Ps. 33:11; Job 23:13), embraces events apparently contingent (Prov. 16:9, 33; Prov. 19:21; Prov. 21:1), is consistent with his own perfection (2 Tim. 2:13), and to his own glory (Rom. 9:17; Rom. 11:36).

Webster
3. In theology, the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures. He that acknowledges a creation and denies a providence, involves himself in a palpable contradiction; for the same power which caused a thing to exist is necessary to continue its existence. Some persons admit a general providence, but deny a particular providence, not considering that a general providence consists of particulars. A belief in divine providence, is a source of great consolation to good men. By divine providence is often understood God himself.