Seeking Recognition
Once we become born-again we should eventually lose the desire to become famous. We may in the passage of time become famous by worldly standards, but if we remain humble, we should be just fine. Sadly, far too many believers seek recognition from the world rather than doing things simply for the joy of pleasing the Lord. Self-promotion is what the world does, and social media helps propagate the lie that notoriety is important to achieve success in this life. If you doubt what I am saying, check out all the “social media influencers” * that have flooded social media over the last who knows how many years. Success is fleeting, and fame fades away as quickly as it appears. Nothing the enemy offers is lasting. Sure, it shines and sparkles, but it is a dead end road.
When we become a Christian our motives, which reside in our hearts, are known by God. The ‘what and why’ of what we say and do becomes critically important as we strive to be more like Christ in our daily life. What we say and do and why we say and do it put on display our true motives. With everything I say and do am I’m seeking to glorify God. I have no desire to be well-known. I can not save a person’s soul, however, the Lord can. He is so far superior to me that I readily shy away for taking any credit for anything I happen to say, do, or write. I am but a single grain of sand on the world’s beaches. Valuable to God, but worthless to the world. And that’s quite frankly the way it HAS to be. He must be GREATER, and I must be LESSER.
We need to analyze our own motives for saying or doing things. Do we do it to draw attention to ourselves or to God? We are to do what we do for the Lord without any fanfare. Scripture tells us not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing **. Sadly many Christians are looking for recognition from people rather than doing things for the joy of pleasing God. Self-promotion is the way of the world and social media offers everyone a place to seek recognition. But Proverbs 27:2, explains, “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” Jesus warned of seeking our own recognition saying, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). It’s vital for each one of us to examine our motives in reaching out to others, whether we're doing it to be seen and recognized by others, or if we are doing it to serve and please God. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full" (Matthew 6:2).
Up next we will take a look at seeking superiority over others. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: The Life Application Study Bible
* A social media influencer is an (self-proclaimed) expert who has established credibility in a specific industry and has built a large following on social media. By regularly creating insightful and engaging content, creators leverage their influence to promote products, services or causes to their followers. (personal note: okay, so what expertise do the Kardashians have?) - https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/top-social-media-influencers
** “...when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret.” - Matthew 6:3-4 NIV.
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