It's Not About The Praise Or Is It?

"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:16-18

Christian - why do you do what you do the way you do? Be careful when people praise you for your service to others and obedience to God. When they see the result of your being faithful to the call of God and give you the credit for the work you have done the bait in the trap has been set.

But what is so bad with embracing the praise from others? After all, it was you that sacrificed. It was you that worked when no one else was willing. It was you that did whatever you did. But was it? Where was the love of God in it? Did love of self get in the way? It will you know - in a minute.

Confession time. I am going to share something that you would have no way of knowing about me unless I told you, which I am about to do. You know that I write devotions most days, Monday to Friday. I have been since 2011. Anywhere from 200 to 300 a year. Well I started tracking the number of "reads" out of amazement actually. (I have talked about this in the past) The numbers represent when someone has read my BLOG or it could have been merely someone opening the devotion and then quickly closing it. The tally had eventually reached over 150,000 since 2011. Big number. I began wondering if my BLOG  might reach 200,000 one day. Shocking to think that what I wrote might be looked at that many times. Then something unexpected happened, I recently had over a thousand in one day. Did it go viral I wondered? Because it was an anomaly, I investigated it and discovered the source of the sudden rise was all from Singapore. Singapore???? But 1000 in a day? Wow! This month the count has been over 16,600. Could it be true or was I being hacked? I checked with some folks who know more about it than me and they said - ignore it - it doesn't mean anything. What!!! 

The first noise I  heard was the air escaping from my ballooned ego. The second noise I heard was the door slamming shut on the trap? Like it or not, my sources are right actually but maybe not for the reason they think - But get a grip Charley!!! Those numbers didn't mean anything! Yet another lesson for yours truly. The Apostle Paul wrote about a principle that is at work for anyone who would venture out for God that we must all understand and embrace. 

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the increase" - 1 Corinthians 3:5-8

As soldiers of the cross, while we wade through the trenches of this spiritual war, we can easily forget that it is God who brings the spiritual increase from our effort. It is God who is our strength, our wisdom, our source of inspiration. People may know our names but if there is any praise to be gained - it all must rightly go to God - the only credit we might receive is that we believed and obeyed His call.  I have seen people who did some particular work in the name of Jesus. But they clearly coveted, enjoyed and embraced the personal validation that maybe they were really OK when they gained that recognition. Gobbling up the credit for what God had done through them. Demonstrating a feigned humility. "Oh no, it wasn't me! - Tell me again!" 

Be careful my friends, God knows the heart. Your heart - my heart. Each time I have observed it in someone else, I have said to myself, "Lord help me that it would not be said of me!" That I would not seek recognition for myself but would faithfully stand against the temptation to rob God of His glory. The big question is - am I writing these devotions to encourage the Saints at the prompting of the Spirit or am I doing it to stoke the fire of my ego? I can recognize the struggle in others, but can I see that I am struggling with it myself. It is the speck and the beam. It's like the Prophet Nathan confronting David with David's sin that David had rationalized as being OK. To see it requires that our hearts be open and yielded to the Spirit of God. Temptation is not sin, by the way. But it always precedes sin. 

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

What is the way of escape? Read Psalm 119:11. Ephesians 6:10-18

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone