Are We Seeking Our Glory or God's Glory: Reconciling Matthew 5:14-16 and 6:1-4

    How do you “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16) and yet “take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1)? I was asked this question by an older woman, a long-time Christian, and I think that the query is a good fit with this study, so let’s dig in for the answer.

    Both of these commands were given by Jesus, they were both part of the lesson He taught His disciples on the mountainside (Matthew 5:1). We know Jesus speaks the words of the Father (John 12:49) and with God there is no contradiction nor error (Psalm 12:6, 19:7-11; 119:140, 160). So what is the answer? 

    I believe that it comes down to our heart’s motivation – are we serving God or are we serving ourselves?

    God called us (by the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We walk in the light of the Lord as “children of light,” finding out what is acceptable to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-14). We find out what is acceptable to God as we learn His will and way (reading and study) and “by reason of use” (application, being a hearer AND a doer, James 1:21-25) our senses are trained to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14). Jesus tells us that we do not light a lamp and then cover it with a box; we light a lamp so “that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33-36). We do not hide it away in selfishness or shame (Galatians 2:20); we let it benefit others who need it (consider John 3:19-21) – we are lights along the narrow path that leads to our heavenly home – we do good to promote God and His way to the world lost in darkness.

    When we shine in God’s marvelous light, avoiding evil and doing what is good and right on a daily basis, inevitably our light will be seen by others. Now we may or may not ever know of the positive impact of our good works, meaning we may not be approached by others who say, “I saw that,” “That was a good thing you did,” or ”I thank God for you” because we simply see opportunities to help and we do them. We are not respecters of persons or places (whether stranger, friend, or enemy, Matthew 5:43-48, 25:34-46), we do good for God’s sake, knowing the blessings He has granted us are above and beyond anything we could ever hope for, knowing that He has blessed us with the resources to give cheerfully of ourselves and/or our means (2 Corinthians 9:7-11), and that all that He gives is in such abundance that we cannot help but share it (consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our good works are a love letter of gratitude to God for all that He has blessed us with; it speaks volumes of our trust in His promised provision, and proves to both our own selves and others that His will and way is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2)!

    It is when we make good works or ‘charitable deeds’ about us, promoting ourselves to the world – “Look at me! I’m doing a good work!” “This will look great on my resume!” “You’re taking a photo for the paper? Oh, yes, let me get in the front row. Oh, and my name? Yes, it’s C, A, T…..” That is where the problem lies. Pomp, ceremony, spotlights. The need to be seen so that others look at us with awe, and maybe even reverence, for our ‘Christian-ness.’

    Do you serve God or yourself?

    Jesus says to do your good works “in secret” (Matthew 6:3-4), with a sincere wish that God will receive the glory for the good you are able to do. Quietly do good to show appreciation and thanksgiving for God’s benefits (Psalm 68:19). And if you do receive praise from someone who happened to see your good deeds, give God the glory; tell them that it is because of His blessings that you were able to help, because of His instruction your eyes were open to the need.    

You can do it! So can I!!

Seeking One’s Own Glory is Not Glory

“It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one’s own glory is not glory.” (Proverbs 25:27 NKJV)

    My Mom had a saying – I can still hear her voice as I think about it – “Too much of anything is not good for you.” The writer of Proverbs likens the overeating of honey to desiring glory and praise for yourself, both lead to ill effects.

    When your heart desires glory from men, your motivation depends on them and the possibility of receiving their praise becomes your incentive. Your esteem rises with every compliment and falls with every criticism, you overwork and tweak your words and actions in hopes of gaining more praise; and it soon becomes an addiction of sorts. You need your fix – just a few uttered words of commendation – or you sink into a puddle of self-doubt, dejection, and perceived rejection. Eventually you need more and more in order to function. When people are not forthcoming with their praise for you, you may even begin asking for their opinions of what you’ve accomplished in hopes of eking out an accolade to make your efforts feel worthwhile.

    God wants you to understand that the glory you seek to receive from man is not glory at all – the pursuit of it is “grasping at the wind” – its effect (that nice feeling you get when hearing kind words) doesn’t last, it’s not fulfilling, it is vain, empty, and fleeting.

    Having a heart that desires to do good for God’s sake and His alone, that He may receive the glory for the blessings He bestowed, results in a very different sense of well-being. You can lay your weary head on your pillow at night with a clear conscience – “We have done what was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10) – knowing you did your best to be a good steward of the blessings God granted you (2 Corinthians 9:7-12, Proverbs 19:17, Hebrews 13:16), and your heart will be overflowing with praise and thanksgiving to God for your health and abilities (Colossians 3:17), and for His instruction in how to use them in His service (ex: Titus 2:3-5).

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV)

    What God offers by way of glory is lasting. Knowing that we are giving our best efforts to accomplish what He has asked of us gives us a quiet confidence to keep going; our motivation comes from the thought of one day hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25: 14-30), understanding that our time here, following God’s commands, is preparing us for worshiping Him in eternity. Gaining assurance that we are doing what is right in His sight comes from studying His word, the Bible, and our desire to be pleasing to Him will lead us to toward growth in knowledge (1 Peter 3:18) and application (James 1:21-25), and a greater desire to serve, just as Jesus humbly served (Mark 10:45).

    Don’t seek after your own glory; it comes to no good end. Instead seek for the joy-filled assurance that you are pleasing to God, look toward the eternal reward that God offers to all who faithfully serve Him and do what He has commanded!

You can do it! So can I!! 

Your Prayers: Are They Humble Petitions or For Human Praise?

    Last week we looked at the hypocritical pitfall in our path when our motivation for doing good works is self-promotion and glory-seeking instead of doing good simply because God created us in Christ Jesus for this purpose (Ephesians 2:10). We reap our own feeble reward when we seek after the temporary glory given by man instead of giving God the glory for blessing us with the opportunities and provisions that enable us to benefit another person.

    Jesus did not stop at good works in His lesson on potential pitfalls in glory-seeking amongst men; He said a vainglorious heart can also made evident in our prayers:

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites [pretenders]. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:5-6 NKJV)

    Now, you may be thinking, “I’m a woman, I don’t pray publicly” and yes, in regular church services, studies, and gatherings where men are present you do not, and rightfully so, but what about at ladies’ bible classes, with your children/grandchildren, when you’re praying with a fellow sister in Christ who is in need of encouragement, comfort, or care; these are all public – heard by others – prayers.

    As with all of Jesus’ teaching, all things come down to a heart issue; we need to honestly examine our hearts and make the necessary changes so that we can avoid the potential problems He lovingly warns us of. Are you eager to show off your eloquence and the carefully curated words and phrases that you think will sound wonderful to others so they will awe at your “devotion”? Are you praying to people or are you praying to God, the Father?

    Consider the familiar parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 (please turn and read that passage).

Two men went to the temple to pray:

    A Pharisee, a religious leader in the synagogue of the Jewish people who were known for their money-hungry ways (Luke 16:14), their political motivations/need for power (John 11:47-48), and their hatred of any who were different/or threatened their position of influence (Luke 18:9, John 12:42-43, also study the lives of Jesus and the apostle Paul).

    A tax collector, a man who was looked down on with much fear and even contempt because he was employed by the Roman government to collect unpaid taxes from the people  (Mark 2:15-17, Matthew 11:18-20, Luke 15:1-7, consider Romans 13:1-7).

    The Pharisee “stood and prayed thus with himself” – did you notice that? With himself, not to God; his ‘prayer’ was, unbeknownst to his proud heart, not going further than his voice could carry it. He spent his time thinking he was informing God of all of his ‘accomplishments’ when in reality he was only revealing his self-righteous arrogance to all the other men within earshot.

    The tax collector, on the other hand, stood “afar off” – not in a place to be seen and heard – and would not even raise his eyes up, but beat his chest and begged God for mercy, because he knew he was a sinner. He humbled himself before God and begged for lovingkindness and forgiveness from the only One he can hope to receive it from: God.

    Jesus declared that it was the tax collector who showed himself to be righteous and acceptable before God (“…this man went down to his house justified” v14) and He finishes His parable with these words: “…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (v14)

    Let’s be careful in our public prayers (amongst women) as well as in our private prayers, that we are not trying to impress others or God by our words. Let’s work to have hearts that truly honour God and give him the reverence and respect He is due, always remembering who He is and who we are before Him, that it is not our goodness but His goodness that has allowed us to approach Him and beg for His forgiveness, His mercy and His grace (Titus 3:3:1-7, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 John 1:8-10).

You can do it! So can I!!