Beware Of The Temptation That Success Brings

In the Sinai wilderness, God’s people learned the habit of depending on Him because they had no choice in the matter — they needed His daily intervention just to eat and drink. However, when they finally stood on the banks of the Jordan River, they awaited a more difficult test of faith. After entering the land of plenty, would they soon forget God?

Having spent their lives in the desert, the Israelites knew little about the seductions of other cultures, thus Moses was more afraid of the coming prosperity than the rigors of the desert. The Israelites might forget God and credit themselves for their success (Deuteronomy 8:11,17).

The Israelites illustrate the fact that success does make it more difficult to depend on the Lord because they proved less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land, turning their hearts to other gods time and time again (Deuteronomy 29:26; Jeremiah 19:1-5; Jeremiah 44:1-5).

Dear reader, let us beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger indeed in getting what we "want" instead of what we "need" (Deuteronomy 8:1-20; cf. Proverbs 30:8-9).

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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