"The Successful"

"They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly." (Psalms 17:10) Who does not want to be successful at what they do? However; when we run after success, we take a chance of loosing everything else in the process. This does not just apply to business, but will also be the case in ministry also; something that many pastors of very successful ministries can relate to: provided that they can admit to it and see the grip it can have upon our lives. As someone who once was chased after success, and had once considered myself as a successful Christian businessman, I can tell you that the lure of success is a trap, and can cause even the strongest among us to get their priorities so backwards that it is hard to turn them around; mostly because after having tasted success, everything becomes based upon success; and once that happens, then there is an exhorted effort to retain that success; even at the cost of relationship of God and family. This is something that is not intentional, nor is it even something that is easily realized; that is until it is too late, and there has been someone harmed, such as a spouse or children; or in the case of ministry, those that leave the ministry disgruntled and harmed by a master that should have been a servant. Don't get me wrong and think that I am saying that success is a bad thing, because I believe that God wants us to be successful at whatever He sets before us to do, and to do it to the best of our abilities; but when we chase after that success we step out of the place that God would have us to be, and we try to make something happen in our own strength, and for our own glory. We can see the affect of chasing after success in 2 Samuel 24, where David asked for the numbering of the forces of his people. Based upon pride, he attempted to obtain the number of his success; as if to boast of his mighty forces and to be puffed up in his own heart. What might appear harmless or of little offence in our own eyes, may be a great sin in the eyes of God; for He sees the intents of our heart. God wants us to remain humble and dependent upon Him for our provisions; to be dependent upon Him requires us to look to Him for our strength and not to our own resources. As we look at the meaning of what David is speaking of in this verse, there are two basic principles that come forth; one being that of abundance, and the other being that of pride. The abundance is the meaning of the word "fat", and it speaks of an illusion of being the best or the most excellent of any kind. The word "inclosed" speaks of closed up or imprisoned; which is what happens when we become trapped in our own success, and that success begins to role our lives. The pride is the result of someone who thinks of themselves more powerful then they really are, and their mouth does not hide what is in their heart...