As we look around our world today it appears that so many wicked people are succeeding. Because of this Proverbs 12:3 stood out to me: “A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.” To be established means to be successful. Real success comes only to those who do what is right. Their efforts stand the test of time. Then, what kind of success does wickedness bring? We all know people who cheated to pass the course or to get a larger tax refund-this is not success? And what about the person who ignores his family commitments and mistreats his workers but gets ahead in business? These apparent successes are only temporary. They are bought at the expense of character. Cheaters grown more and more dishonest, and those who hurt others become callous and cruel. In the long run, evil behavior does not lead to success; it leads only to more evil. Real success maintains personal integrity. If you are not a success by God’s standards, you have not achieved true success.
