Success and wealth can be very dangerous.

We have seen and read how singers and actors who lived lives with modesty before stardom being transformed to become opposite people. Fame and fortune turn ordinary people into humans flaunting their wealth without prudence and shame. There are stars who previously were church choir singers, and testify of their faith in God. Upon winning acclamation at TV Shows or Hollywood, they become instant celebrity. Their meteoric rise in reputation brought about compromises. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. To please fans, and to remain popular, their focus is how to remain on top, and not who is at the top of their lives and success. The God who blessed such ones with talents and successes no longer has a place in their fame. There are also those who publicly reject this God as being archaic, and has no room in an all-inclusive world.

Cult-status can change our worldview very easily. We succumb to the temptations of the world by living dual lives; on one hand we speak a little of God; on the other, we say what the crowd wishes to hear. And an example in the Bible: to placate the volatile crowd, a murderer was released but an innocent man crucified as demanded!

Mark 15:6-15 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.