Hebrews 2:1-2
Most of the time we focus on what to do if things go wrong. We come up with contingency plans in case we are late for a flight. We sometimes even have redundant systems in place in case of failure. In fact, on the space shuttle, most of its systems are backed up by quadruple redundancies. That means five systems would have to fail.
Most people live by this motto:
We plan for something to go wrong, then if it doesn’t, we are pleasantly surprised.
We are ready if everything goes wrong. What we don’t often do is consider what happens if everything goes right. What if you land that perfect job, what if your business suddenly gets really successful, what if everything you touch turns to gold – what then?
We might be tempted to say – super – bring it on. But success has its pitfalls. In fact, career expert William S. Frank says, “too much success can kill you.” Now, while Mr. Frank is talking about the sacrifices we make to succeed – when it comes to ministry – sometimes the worst thing for us is success – not only because it leads us to sacrifice our personal lives – but because it alters our personality.
In ministry, when the Lord is really working through you – it is easy for it to go to your head. Your self-image is several times bigger than your hat size. That’s the problem Jesus faces with all of us, His disciples. We often let ourselves become unfocused.