By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed.D.
(Lamont Fuchs is the author of “Preacher Spurs”, Christian Faith Publishing, Meadville, Pa., 2022)
What drives you to do what you do? Let’s begin with a few questions, and you will soon figure out where this Spur is headed.
- Do you volunteer to serve so you will become noticed or recognized by others for your work?
- Do you want others to congratulate you on your completed job?
- Are you looking for a promotion when you strive to outperform your competition?
- Do you enjoy being on stage for the applause and cheers of the crowd?
- Do you speak or perform so that others will praise your ability and talent?
- Do you dress for success or to attract the looks of others?
- Do you tell stories of success and boast of your experience and achievements so others will look up to you?
- Do you drop names of notoriety or of influential people you have worked with, related to, or met, so others will consider you their peer or to become more popular?
- Do you seek recognition, congratulations, or aggrandizement after leading a successful project?
- Do you seek leadership roles because you want to be in charge?
- Do you want others to look up to or idolize you to make you feel good?
Get it? One or more of those might have hit you between the eyes. You have already begun to rationalize with, “What’s wrong with that?” The answer to that question depends on why you do it.
Read Colossians 3:2
Can you define the following words: pride, arrogance, narcissism, egotism, conceit, and vanity? I can with one word…sin. Does any of these sins cloud your judgment? Do any of these sins separate you from God as you become your idol? These are dangerous grounds, and satan uses these sins to slip in the cracks of our mentality and thought processes. You may get praise, make more money, get a raise, applause, or recognition for your talent, looks, performance, or work. But is that why you do it? That’s the tricky question for yourself. Why?
Read Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Since we were very young, the world has drilled these attitudes into our heads. You’ve been told you need to compete, you must get the prize, you have to be first, and you have to be better than the next person. Ever feel that pressure from your parents, peers, coaches, or teachers? We all have at some time in our lives. We see it as encouragement and love from those who want us to succeed and produce. To become the best we can be. But then, the praise becomes a drug, the desire to receive it becomes our addiction, and soon, the talents and gifts we received from God to glorify Him get lost in even thinking about Him at all.
Read Proverbs 16:2
Related story: remember Whitney Houston? One of the most talented voices people have ever heard. Her story is tragic, but she falls right into this narcissistic kind of pride and getting sucked down by satan. An entire world watched as she rose to heights unseen before her time and then self-destructed and died from a drug overdose. She used her God-given talent and beauty at the beginning of her career as a Gospel singer, glorifying Jesus. Then came fame, money, pride, more fame, and ultimately death. How did she lose her way? Her story is here on Liveabout (2009).
How do we unload all this programming? We have all received it, but has satan reinforced it into self-destructive pride? Note that God hates pride and those who become haughty in serving Him.
Read Proverbs 8:13 and Matthew 22:37
You may think you should quit all that work, performance, ability, reward, acceptance, and praise. Not at all. You can be all that and humble, too.
Read Roman 12:2
Your humility can show through, and you will receive even more blessings. God gives all good things, and everything He gives you is good. Give God the credit. Glorify Him in all that you do and the reason for doing it. Praise Him! Shout to others for what He has done for you and how He has blessed you. He gives success; you didn’t earn it. He provides. We have heard this many times in our Christian discipleship education. Remind yourself whenever you embark on a project that will thrust you into a spotlight that the shining glory belongs to God.
Read Matthew 6:1
We motivate others when we continually give praise, adulation, and rewards to others around us. We are supposed to. But are we complicit in making them eager for the attention and wrong reasons? Let’s pray we are not. We want to lift up others, and we should like to promote those around us and remind them to give credit where credit is due. That is how we motivate and encourage our children, friends, and fellow workers. Shape your praise of others in a way that reminds them it is God that blesses them for having made the achievements or done so well in their performance. We can do our part to remind ourselves and others we love that God is first in all our lives.
