The Price of Arrogance...Learn from Wachovia

Unless you live under a rock, you've no doubt heard of the mortgage crisis now battering the U.S. economy. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost with billions more to come. But what's this have to do with your ministry or binistry? Patience, friend, patience.

Check out this article about Wachovia Bank's mounting losses. Especially notice the arrogance of their CEO not long ago, supremely confident as he was that Wachovia not only wouldn't be hammered by credit losses, but actually would profit from any changes in credit markets.

About pride, Scripture couldn't be clearer. Arrogance is the mortal enemy of your walk with Christ and true success. In fact, "pride comes before a fall," and "whoever trusts in himself is a fool."

I'm sure that in 2007 things we're cruising along nicely at Wachovia. Pride and good, old-fashioned stupidity blinded them to their risk exposure and rolled out the red carpet for the world of hurt they won't soon escape.

Ministry and business to the glory of God works the same way. The slow creep of prideful blindness to spiritual weakness and organizational ineffectiveness, suddenly manifests in a dam break of apathy and irrelevance.

Where are you at? Are you trusting in yourself or are you clinging to Christ? Remember, "past success is no indicator of future performance." You must take up your cross daily. You must yield yourself, your circumstances, and your organization to our God, Who is an all consuming fire. He must purify you and purge pride.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul confronted his readers' welcoming prideful adversaries to the Gospel. Paul's response: "But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I
shall find out, not the words of those who arrogant but their power." (I Cor. 4:19). Indeed, the Spirit works the same way in our lives. He is not concerned with our words, but with the power of our deeds, a power which "is from God and not from us." (2 Cor. 4:7)

As the Spirit commanded through Paul, "Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise...So then no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you...and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God." (1 Cor. 3:18-23)

Heed Biblical teaching and learn from Wachovia's mistakes. "Humble yourself, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) Your personal, familial, ministry, and binistry success hang in the balance.