Mistakes of ‘Successful’ Men

[197 words] We have put “successful” in quotation marks, because these men were successful only from the world’s point of view. The rich young ruler was rich, religious, and young (Matt. 19:16-22). However, he loved material wealth more than the Lord, (1 Tim. 6:9-10).  The rich man in the story with Lazarus would have been the envy of many as well as pride of the community (Luke 12:16-21). He had great things, but he missed heaven because he neglected his own soul (Heb. 2:3). Judas Iscariot had the honor of being one of the twelve apostles. Furthermore, he was chosen to be the treasurer (John 12:6). He made the mistake of allowing Satan to enter into his heart (Luke 22:3). Satan is too dangerous to entertain in our lives.  Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. He made the mistake of yielding to public favor against his convictions. Worldly…