The Daily Devotional by Vince Miller

When Success Goes To Your Head | Judges 15:16-17


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Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

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Our text today is Judges 15:16-17

"And Samson said, 'With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.' As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi." — Judges 15:16-17

Samson had just experienced one of the most incredible victories in his life. Bound by ropes, surrounded by enemies, he was suddenly filled with the Spirit of God. With nothing but a donkey's jawbone, he struck down a thousand Philistines.

But listen to what he says afterward. Listen carefully.

"With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, have I struck down a thousand men."

No mention of God. No credit to the Spirit. Just Samson boasting about Samson.

Sound familiar?

Victory often tempts us to shift the spotlight. We crush a project at work and secretly think, "Look what I did." A relationship improves, and we say, "I finally figured it out." Even in ministry, we can pat ourselves on the back after a win instead of lifting our eyes to heaven.

Pride in victory steals glory from God and puts us on shaky ground.

The truth is, Samson didn't kill a thousand men because he was clever with a jawbone. He didn't snap ropes because of sheer strength. The Spirit did that. The Spirit rushed in, gave him power, and made the impossible possible. The same is true for us. Any success we enjoy—big or small—is by God's hand.

Pride takes what God did and rebrands it as our accomplishment. And the moment we start stealing God's glory, we set ourselves up for a fall. But humility reverses the script.

Humility says, "God did this. I'm just holding the jawbone."

ASK THIS:
  1. Where in your life are you tempted to take credit instead of giving God glory?
  2. Why does success so often make us forget God's role in the victory?
  3. What would it look like to redirect praise to God in your current season?
  4. How can humility actually deepen your joy in the victories He gives?
DO THIS:
  • Identify one recent "victory" in your life.
  • Out loud, thank God for it specifically: "Lord, You did this."
PRAY THIS:

Father, I confess I love to take credit for what only You could have done. Keep me humble in victory. Teach me to give glory back to You in every success. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Nothing Else."

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The Daily Devotional by Vince MillerBy Vince Miller

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