Do Not Let Success Make You Arrogant

Note from today’s Bible reading: Jonah 1-4; 2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26

Uzziah had a promising start to his reign over Judah. “He did right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 26:4). As a result, the Lord was with him so that he had success in military campaigns, building projects, material prosperity, and national defense (2 Chronicles 26:6-15).

Unfortunately, this success led him to become arrogant, trusting in himself rather than recognizing that all of these were blessings from God. So “when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 26:16).

This is a danger for many successful people. It is not that success (in whatever area) is necessarily wrong. After all, the example of Uzziah shows that success can come from God blessing a person who has been faithful to Him. However, those who enjoy this type of success will face the temptation to become “conceited” and forget “God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). And this danger exists even with a much smaller degree of success than what Uzziah enjoyed.

So do not let success make you arrogant. Whatever we have obtained in this life is a gift from God. Rather than thinking that we do not need God, let us use our position, wealth, opportunities, and everything else we have in a way that honors Him.