God tests us with success.

Does that sound strange? You might have an easier time believing that God tests you with stress or suffering.

But think about it.

You’ve seen success ruin people. The young rock star gets everything she has ever wanted and then crashes and burns. The athlete signs a big contract and then parties away his future. A business grows bigger than anyone expected, and the owner becomes reckless with expansion plans.

We’ve read the stories.

As a pastor for more than 40 years, I can tell you that more people have been ruined by success than by suffering. Suffering tends to push people toward God. But when people are successful, they often forget about God.

For every person who can handle pain, you’ll find very few who can handle fame. The praise goes to their head, and it destroys them.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:21, “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised” (NLT).

In reality, every compliment is a test. Compliments and criticisms are a bit like chewing gum. You can chew on them awhile, but don’t swallow them. Both of them can really mess you up.

It’s so easy to forget God when success comes your way. But if you remember that your success comes from God, you will pass the success test every time.