"Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, all the ways in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king."
To Whom Credit Is Due
A proud woodpecker was tapping away at a dead tree when the sky unexpectedly turned black and the thunder began to roll. Undaunted, the woodpecker went right on working. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the old tree, splintering it into hundreds of pieces. Startled but unhurt, the haughty bird flew off, screeching to his feathered friends, "Hey, everyone, look what I did to that tree!"
Haman was a lot like that woodpecker. He was a man of many honors and much wealth. King Ahasuerus had promoted him to be chief among the princes of the Persian Empire (Esther 3:1). Sadly, along with the increase in his good fortune came an increase in his arrogance. Instead of giving credit to God, he called all his friends and family together and exclaimed, "Look what I've done!"
Too often we forget who really deserves the credit for our successes. Admittedly circumstances might give the appearance that we are responsible. Certainly we must use our intelligence and apply ourselves diligently. But even the assets of intellect and strength are from God. In addition, success is usually the result of factors beyond human control. Sometimes it's simply because God put us at the right place at the right time. If we view our success from this perspective, we begin to get some idea of how dependent we are on a power beyond ourselves--a power of God.
Success is enjoyable, but you'll enjoy it much more when you give God the credit. All that you have and all that you are is the direct result of His blessing. Don't forget to thank Him.
To sweeten success, try a little praise.