Not self-seeking
“No one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God.” (Hebrews 5:4)
Toastmasters International, the organization which helps give people confidence in public speaking, has The Rule of Esteem which recognizes that all humans need and want praise, recognition and acceptance.
Mark Twain is often quoted as saying “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
It is very easy to see and understand the human need for praise and recognition. The question is “Do you just let praise and recognition happen naturally or do you go seeking it?” It is very easy to see this even from a very young age. Just think of the little girl who goes around asking anyone who will listen and even those who won’t “Do you like my dress?”
While we all certainly like to be praised, it is the height of arrogance and pride to openly and purposefully seek and look for praise and compliments from others. Think back to our devotion from last week. Do you have the attitude of a servant and serve others as Jesus served you or do you carry out a task out of a sense of obligation and therefore think that you need to be praised and recognized for it?
There is a hint of that in our verse for this week when the writer to the Hebrews reminds us “ when called by God.”Those words are a reminder that whatever we do in our lives as children of God we are ultimately doing it for God. That is not just sharing his Word or sharing our faith. When you are doing personal care for a resident, when you are meeting with a family, when you are doing that seemingly mundane record keeping – all of that is using the gifts God gave us to his praise and glory. Did you catch that – to God’s praise and glory. Ultimately anything we do as Christians is not about whether people notice or praise us or not, but that they see Jesus through us or in our actions.
Having said all that, Jesus tells us elsewhere in the Bible that there will be a time when we will receive praise and recognition for what we’ve done. The amazing thing about that praise and recognition is that it will come from the lips of God himself as he says to each one of us “ style=”background-color: transparent;”>Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23). I don’t know about you, but that will be great for me. To hear “well done” from God is the highest praise anyone could want or receive.
Now that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t recognize a job well done here on earth or not give someone a compliment. Recognizing and thanking people is a way of showing love – genuine Christian love. Please make sure to thank and recognize those in every aspect of your life who do a good job. And when that praise or recognition comes your way, always be humble and kind (yes, I just quoted a Tim McGraw song).