ow many times have you heard prideful remarks like these?
“I give 15% of my pay to the Lord’s work.”
“I’m fasting and praying today.”
“I support that ministry too.”
“I go to church every Sunday.”
“I would never do a thing like that.”
“My kids would never do that.”
Sounds a lot like how an NFL receiver looks when he catches a great pass and goes strutting into the end zone like a peacock courting his girlfriend. Awhile back, when the NCAA began to enforce stiffer penalties for such ego flaunting, the reactions from fans and players across America varied from relief to anger. Notre Dame coach, Lou Holtz, glibly said to his Irish players, “When you get into the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.”
Humility. Discreteness. Secret giving. Silent offering. These are the kinds of qualities that get God’s attention and please Him deeply.
In these deep, country hills that I call home, you can actually hear a good ol’ boy compliment a friend’s character by saying, “Aw, ol’ Bill’s all right; he don’t say too much.”
When you do something special, Jesus makes it clear that God wants all the glory. If you take the glory, there’s none left for Him. (He’ll get His chance to return the glory to you when you meet Him at Heaven’s gate.)
The final awards’ ceremony! That’s when the rewards, honors and glory will really matter.
Next time you get a chance to take the credit for something God has honored you with, have some fun and discretely let Him or someone else get the glory. Be careful, it may become habit forming!