<\/p>\n
\u201cTake heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven\u201d (Matthew 6:1).<\/p>\n
NOTHING TESTS OUR CHARACTER ANY MORE THAN HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MOTIVES. When there is a good deed to be done, for example, our character is tested: will we do it simply to glorify God or will we do it \u201cto be seen by men\u201d? That is a hard choice \u2014 much harder than most of us are willing to admit.<\/p>\n
Praise itself is not evil, of course, but there\u2019s no denying that it has the potential to hurt us. Indeed, it\u2019s a rare person who can receive more than a moderate amount of recognition and not have his or her attitude marred by it. That doesn\u2019t stop us from wanting it, however. As Norman Vincent Peale once said, \u201cMost of us would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for our motives, it\u2019s hard to be honest as to what they really are. The desire to be noticed and recognized as having done something good can be so subtle that it can be our real motive at times when we would say that it isn\u2019t. In a given situation, it\u2019s difficult to see when the thing we really want is to be praised.<\/p>\n
Perhaps it is stating it too strongly to say that we want \u201cto be seen by men.\u201d But what about that word \u201crecognized\u201d? A little appreciative attention is an intoxicating thing. Once we\u2019ve experienced it, even as children, it\u2019s easy for that to become the payoff that we seek (be truthful now) in every transaction thereafter.<\/p>\n
The needs of self, including the need to be appreciated, are not unimportant, of course. But God has set up reality such that self\u2019s needs are satisfied most fully when we put our priorities elsewhere.<\/em> Jesus said, \u201cBut seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 6:33).<\/p>\n So let\u2019s be very honest. Why do we do what we do for God? Do we serve Him as faithfully in private as in public? If no one ever noticed or thanked us, would we be content simply to know that God had been glorified? And if so, would we then avoid the opposite sin: being privately smug, knowing that we are big enough to do what\u2019s right even though nobody appreciates us?<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot say \u2018Thine is the glory\u2019 if I am seeking my own glory first\u201d (Anonymous).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n