TRUE GLORY
"Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man glory in his strength, nor the rich man glory in his riches; but rather, let him who glories, glory in this, that in his prudence he knows Me. Knows that I, the Lord, bring about kindness, justice, and uprightness on the earth; for which such am I pleased, says the Lord." (Jer 9:22,23)
We have often heard the Scripture, 'What good is to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of your soul." We all seek, to some degree, certain satisfaction in accomplishments we have undertaken. We take pride in ourselves as we rise above others in the eyes of our peers, friends, family, even enemies. Competition motivates us to make sacrifices in order to enhance our drive and determination. "As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man." (Pro 27:17) But by contrast, within Christianity, we are called to "cooperation" not competitiveness! In attaining the attention for admiration from others as well as self-edification, we must look at our heart's condition; am I in a state of humility or that of pride? "Pride comes before a fall, but with humility and fear of the Lord is honor, riches and a long life." (Pro 22:4)
"I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live. Pleasing to him be my theme; I will be glad in the Lord." (Ps 104:33,34) In the movie "Chariots of Fire,” Eric Liddell is a Scottish runner for the UK competing in the 1924 Olympics in Paris and is a favorite to win. Upon learning he must run on the Sunday, he refuses to compete upon much objections. He switches his 100-m race on the Sunday for the 400-m race on a different day and wins with a new world record of 47.6 seconds. Before the race an American runner gives him a note after learning of his conviction of honoring the Lord's Day, "It says in the Old Book, 'Him that honors me, I will honor'" (1 Sam 2:30).
God shares His glory with no man (Is 42:8) but brings praise and recognition to his own (Job 1:8). When Scripture tells us that: "Whatever you do in speech or action, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through Him"(Col 3:17), it is at great temptation for our ego to yield to vanity and pride. Caught up in the moment, we can bring glory to God by giving Him the credit or upon ourselves. In time we will just possibly be a footnote in history at best or be forgotten by the passing of time. Old trophies are eventually discarded along with our youth, talents, strength, and accomplishments being but a memory in the minds of some but not in remembrance of the majority. Beauty is fleeting and as in this world, records are made only but to be broken. Does God desire for us to accomplish and succeed? Absolutely! "It is God who, in his good will toward you, begets in you any measure of desire or achievement. In everything you do, act without grumbling or arguing; prove yourselves innocent and straightforward, children of God beyond reproach in the midst of a twisted and depraved generation - among whom you shine like the stars in the sky while holding fast to the word of life. As I look to the Day of Christ, you give me cause to boast that I did not run the race in vain or work to no purpose." (Phil 2:13-16)
Our life in this world is full of uncertainties. Everything of this world is in a state of deterioration, but when offered to God by giving Him the glory, it becomes for us eternal merit. "His bride has prepared herself for the wedding. She has been given a dress to wear made of finest linen, brilliant white. The linen dress is the virtuous deeds of God's saints." (Rev 19:8) Make-up can enhance beauty but not replace it. We are who we are and to some degree, to whom we wish to be. By giving credit to God, we stand in appreciation for God-given abilities and gifts. As a football player makes a touchdown or a ball player making a home run or great play stands and points to heaven after, is acknowledging God. It is our participation in life in this world where we earn eternal merit. To gain the admiration of humanity and the disapproval of God holds tragic consequences. As such a female comedian upon winning an Emmy for her accomplishments said, on Sept. 8. 2007, "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus," Holding up her statuette, "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now." Asked about her speech backstage a short time later, the unrepentant added, "I hope I offended some people. I didn't want to win the Emmy for nothing." (Reuters Staff from Sept. 11, 2007...Reuters/Gus Ruelas/Files)