It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. (Proverbs 25:27)
There’s a similar craving in people everywhere – namely, they want to be somebody great. Everyone wants to be The Man, to portray self-confidence and apparent control over his or her own life. We want to take credit and get the glory.
When we peer into our hearts, we see that humans have a remarkable propensity for self glorification. Ultimately this is a defiance of God, who gives breath and life and everything to all humanity. Yet we are not only prone to this vain glorification, our society promotes it, says we have a right to it and tells us we deserve it. The media readily let us in on the lifestyles of entertainers and professional athletes who flaunt their wealth and achievements. Contestants of reality-based television shows claim it’s their time to shine.
Our world could not be more mistaken.
Proverbs states that “to seek one’s own glory is not glory” and provides further counsel that we need not praise ourselves, but instead, let others provide the praise.
The truth is that the glory of God is too astounding, to weighty for us to bear. We would literally die from the sight of it. A mere glimpse is what brought splendor to Moses’ face, though he was hidden in the cleft of a rock.
So how do we deflect glory to the only one worthy of it? We remember that a relational God created us, and we remember that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are at work, fashioning us into His likeness. We bring all of our life under the sway of His glory.
The reality of glorifying God happens when we trade in our angry words for kind ones. It happens when we suffer, when others take credit for our efforts, when we choose to believe His promises above the lies of the world. Glory happens when we let Him cultivate in us the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus spoke implicitly when He said, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” His shining in us will allow others to see the majesty that is beyond comprehension.
Glory doesn’t happen when it’s convenient for our schedules or in the way our finite minds imagine. It simply begins and ends with our Father. So when glory happens, we better find a cleft in the rock …The Man is passing by.
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Prayer:
God, forgive me for how each day, I seek to get credit for myself. Change my heart so that my desire is to point attention and praise to You. Be glorified by and pleased with my actions, words, decisions and thoughts. You are the Glorious One.
