What is the key to success? In the minds of more and more Americans, the answer to that question is not “hard work,” “ingenuity,” or “resourcefulness.” No, increasingly, we seem to believe the key to the good life is “luck.”
According to the Bible, there is no such thing as luck. Success is a product of operating by certain principles. Ralph Waldo Emerson concurred. He once wrote: “Shallow men believe in luck and circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect.” Today millions of Americans are pinning their hopes and dreams for a brighter future on a lottery ticket rather than sweat and creativity.
God’s wisdom words for you today are effort and ingenuity.
(Minneapolis: Mac Hammond Ministries)
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Mac and Lynne Hammond are senior pastors of Living Word in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, which they started in 1980. Many outreaches and ministries have launched from Living Word since that time, including Maranatha Christian Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 school with nearly 900 in attendance, and Living Free Recovery Services, a licensed outpatient treatment program.
Most recently, Mac and Lynne have launched a vision to plant fifty churches across the globe in the next five years. As of August 2024, nine churches have been planted in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala with construction underway for seven more churches in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prior to becoming a pastor, Mac was a pilot. He served in the Air Force, served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, and was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of Captain. Between 1970 and 1980, Mac was involved in varying capacities in the general aviation industry, including ownership of a successful air cargo business serving the Midwestern United States. A business acquisition brought the Hammonds to Minneapolis, where they ultimately founded Living Word. Currently, Mac is the host of The Winner’s Way and The Winner’s Minute broadcasts and the author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.