The slippery slope of success

When you were little in your own eyes, . . . did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?  — 1 Samuel 15:17                           

Among the more than 19,000 original epigrams penned by chemist and writer Dr. O. A. Battista is this wise observation: “You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.” Unfortunately, just the opposite often happens when something we have done is praised and rewarded. A humble heart can quickly become a swelled head.

Just before Saul was anointed king, he saw himself as a member of an insignificant family in the smallest tribe of Israel (1 Sam. 9:21). Within a few years, however, he had erected a monument in his own honor and had become the supreme authority for his conduct (15:11-12). The prophet Samuel confronted Saul for his disobedience to God by reminding him, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?” (v.17).

Self-importance is the first step down the slippery slope of what we call success. It begins when we claim credit for God-given victories and modify His commands to suit our desires.

True success is staying on God’s path by following His Word and giving Him praise instead of craving it for ourselves. —David McCasland                                

Help me, O Lord, lest

my heart become proud,

For all of my talents

by You are endowed;

Nothing I have can I claim as my own  — What mercy and grace in my life

You have shown!  — D. De Haan

READ: 1 Samuel 15:10-23

True humility credits

God for every success.

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Samuel 14-16