Monday Reading: Proverbs 27 14
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 14
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
Devotion:
Its one thing to praise a friend, but doing it for your own reasons is not right! We all like to receive praise when it is due to us; it gives us renewed energy and even a new commitment to do things right. Yet there are times when we feel a bit left out because we are not getting the praise that we think we should do. When we get to that stage, it is a very simple step to go too far and do things in front of people just to gain praise. Where do you think that is going to get you? Pride is going to take over your life if you are willing to allow that sort of thing to take hold!
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 14
14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
Devotion:
Its one thing to praise a friend, but doing it for your own reasons is not right! We all like to receive praise when it is due to us; it gives us renewed energy and even a new commitment to do things right. Yet there are times when we feel a bit left out because we are not getting the praise that we think we should do. When we get to that stage, it is a very simple step to go too far and do things in front of people just to gain praise. Where do you think that is going to get you? Pride is going to take over your life if you are willing to allow that sort of thing to take hold!
God wants us to be willing to do things for others and not to seek praise or reward for it. He wants us to show kindness and dedication to the people that need or deserve it without seeking our own praise or reward. If you are going to expect praise whenever you perform in front of others, then you will be doing exactly that... you will be performing in front of others. You will no longer be doing things for God but doing them for yourself. The focus would have totally shifted to a selfish look at yourself rather than praising God.
From the other side of the fence, we can all see when someone is doing something just so that they can get attention. We can all see when someone is doing something just to get praise. So what makes us any different? Do you not think that everyone is going to be able to see that we are doing it just for the praise? Besides deceit, we are spreading anything but good will! The only thing we are going to succeed in is gaining a bit of praise that is not really due to us and winding other people up because they can see we are doing things out of spite and selfishness rather than out of love.
Christ did not give His life up to seek praise. He gave it up so that we can have everlasting life. He gave it up out of love...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you seek out praise?
How often do you give God the praise He deserves?
How often do you seek out praise?
How often do you give God the praise He deserves?