The Lord makes it very clear that He despises the proud. James 4:6 - But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” In fact, pride was the original sin - committed by Lucifer when he believed he could take God's place. The result was his eviction from heaven and a promise of eternal judgment in hell.
For us as career and business people, we must take this issue of pride very seriously. This is because it is very easy to achieve a certain level of success that can translate into a misplaced ego. And when that happens, God's word is clear - punishment shall be the consequence. Isaiah 2:12 - The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).
Consider what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, for instance. Despite being warned to do what is right by God, he fell into the trap of pride. Daniel 4:30 - he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
He immediately lost his mind and went from being the king of the world's reigning superpower, to living out in the wild like an animal for seven years.
It is easy to behave like Nebuchadnezzar and look with pride at all we believe we've worked hard for. However, we must never forget that all good and precious gifts come from God (James 1:17). Therefore, any success and praise we receive in our career or business are because of the Lord's favor and grace. Indeed, we are told in Deuteronomy 8:18 - But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Nowadays, we often dismiss the experiences of the people in the Bible as far fetched. We think they are simply unfounded stories told to scare people. However, they are not, and we must be mindful to walk carefully and humbly with the Lord (Micah 6:8). Doing so will save us from unnecessary stress and tears.
God is not asking us to walk around with a defeatist or discouraged attitude. No way! God has told His children to be strong and courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6) and told us to approach His throne boldly (Hebrews 4:16). The key is to be confident in His capacity to help us achieve our goals.
As we perform our duties as unto the Lord at all our endeavors, let us be mindful to remember that our success is from God. May we never fall into ego and pride, believing our hard work, our intelligence, our skills made a way for us. For it is God and God alone who blesses the works of our hands, IJMN, Amen.
There was a time I had been guilty of this and the Lord humbled me ...and it was painful! The Lord eventually increased my blessing, Thank You God. However, it was the best lesson I could have learned in humility and it was transformative/life-changing and I am thankful to God for His correction.