I have the utmost admiration for successful people. People who work hard and invest their money wisely deserve to be looked at as a source of inspiration, not as a target of jealousy. Unfortunately, though, there is something that many (certainly not all) successful people suffer from that makes them a little less admirable: pride. It’s natural to become content with oneself when you’ve done something amazing, and there is nothing wrong with basking in the glow of a job well done. However, if we allow temporary elation to turn into habitual pride and arrogance, then we engage in the proud look that God calls an abomination in Proverbs 6:16-19 and in Proverbs 16:5.

Don’t be fooled: Christians are just as susceptible as the lost to fall into a pattern of pride and arrogance. To combat this, we should remember that, as Proverbs 16:5 (AMP) puts it:

We should also remember what James 1:11 tells us, which is this: even in the height of his or her glory, the rich person can be cut off in an instant. The Bible illustrates this in Luke 12:13-21, when the rich man dies in the middle of making plans to build bigger barns. Modern life demonstrates this as well as we see celebrities, business tychoons, famous authors, and others die regularly while still in hot pursuit of earthly success. We just don’t know when our last breath will be, and to be proud of ourselves when we have so little control over our futures is silly.

Should we work hard? Of course. Should we plan for and invest in the future as if we will live forever? That’s good policy. But to take sinful pride in the outcomes of our labors – to overestimate ourselves and underestimate others because we may have more than others – is foolish. God is the one who rewards our efforts, and should pride overcome our souls, He will very likely remove His rewards in order to put us back in our places.