“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish” (Proverbs 12:1).
TEXT — Proverbs 12:1-7
Message
There are people who think that it does not matter how they acquire success or achieve fame or gain promotion. The end, they say, justifies the means. Such people do not accept criticism nor permit correction. In the process, they miss the chance to learn from the wisdom of other people, and end up eventually in trouble, disappointment or failure.
Solomon, the wise preacher, had seen enough in life to conclude that those who shun counsel, detest criticism and reject instruction, are accidents waiting to happen. Such people are usually self-conceited and face condemnation because they do not recognise that to obtain favour from God demands a measure of good conduct and character. Irrespective of how clever a man may be, he cannot be truly successful through acts of wickedness, but by being rooted in righteousness. Solomon was carefully drawing parallels between the wicked and the righteous person. It is virtue, he notes that makes a woman the crown of her husband, unlike those with rotten character, who perpetrate shameful acts. The wicked person thrives on deceit, while the righteous stands on what is right. The wicked lays ambush for people in order to gain advantage over them, but such people are delivered by the testimony of the upright person. In the end, the wicked will be overthrown, while the righteous will be vindicated.
Whatever the situation, we must remember that enduring success comes only when we pattern our lives on the righteous standards of God. We must humbly imbibe the precepts of the Scripture, which means living as God commands. We should shun pride and arrogance which hinder people from learning vital lessons about life here and hereafter.
As we pursue success, we should also seek to do the will of God, and must never accept success that comes at the expense of good character and virtue. We must neither cheat nor callously hurt others in order to achieve success, nor should we compromise our personal integrity. To do that is to woefully fail the test of life.
Thought for the day
Success obtained at the expense of character is toxic.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
