A Word on Glory
I try really hard to live my life like the Lord tells me to in His word. I try really hard to mirror the image of a Godly woman. I defend Truth. I serve my neighbors. I honor God in my relationships. I try to speak slowly and in love. I am not a victim of pride or jealousy or greed. I try my best not to conform to the world. I walk by the Spirit. And so on. I would guess that most of you reading this live this life. Most of you, and I, have molded my existence to fit within the Word.But there is one area that I struggle with, and, correct me if I'm wrong, I think a lot of Christians share with me.I am really, super great at lifting up my own name. At doing all I can to bring Kate glory and honor and praise. In fact, almost everything I do, somehow, impacts the way I am seen and known. When I post something cute on Instagram, do a good deed, tell people about a cool thing I did, and more, I often find myself thinking, "good job, Kate. This makes you look really good." It's almost like I go throughout my day looking to gain points."You always look so pretty!" One point for Kate."Your writing is so encouraging to me." One point for Kate."Your pics from last weekend were gorgeous." One point for Kate."I saw you hold the door for those people. That was so sweet." One point for Kate.And so on. Then at the end of the day, I count those points and tally up my worth, and if I got "enough," I feel satisfied. Man, this is dangerous.What I am forgetting when I do this, is that God did not breathe life into me so I that I could inflate my own ego. I wasn't designed to proclaim the name of Kate. I wasn't created to spread the news of my own goodness to the ends of the Earth. No. I was formed to declare the power and love and grace of my God. That is my purpose. At the end of the day, lifting my own name may bring me worldly glory, but it will not bring me the Glory of Heaven. It will not bring me true, full, overflowing satisfaction. Impressing my fellow Earth dwellers doesn't impress my King.One of my favorite examples of a guy who really does it right is John the Baptist. At the beginning of the Gospel of John, John the Baptist has a massive following. Huge crowds are trailing behind him as he tells of the promised One and baptizes people. By the standards of his time, and really even today, John the Baptist is a man to admire. Clearly he's popular, well liked, and a talented influencer. But John makes one thing very clear. He is not the Messiah. John 1:7 tells us, "He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to bear witness to it." There is so much that we can learn here. First of all, John was a witness. He was not the main act. His life was devoted to testifying about something he knew to be true - that because of the fullness of Jesus, we will receive grace upon grace (John 1:16). Second, John is clear that he is not the light, but rather someone who points people in the direction of the light.Later in the Gospel of John, after Jesus has started gaining popularity, some of John's followers start to panic. They ask John what he is going to do about Jesus stealing all of the attention. In John 3:29-30, John replies, "The joy is mine, and it is not complete. He must become greater; I must become less." So in the face of Earthly defeat, when John loses all the power, esteem, popularity, and fame he once enjoyed, he is joyful. He is joyful at the sight of Jesus' name being lifted higher than his own. He is joyful as he takes a knee and lets the glory rest of Jesus' shoulders. He is joyful as he steps back and surrenders his pride to the true Messiah.Someday, when I die, it will not matter how many Instagram followers I have, how many compliments I have received, or how many accomplishments I can boast of. It gets me nothing and certainly won't get me into heaven. I must not spend my life exposing the world to my own greatness, but to the greatness of my Savior. I must become less, so He can become greater. That is the life I was created to live.I'm going to close this out with a few questions I am asking myself today - questions that I would invite all of your to ask yourselves.
Who am I lifting up: me or Jesus?
What did I do today that bore witness to Jesus?
Who do I daily place higher on the pedestal?
When people look at me, is Jesus evident?
If my reputation was taken from me, would I still be joyful?
How can I actively seek a life devoted to glorifying the Lord?
How can I use the gifts that God has given me to honor Him instead of my ego?
What are practical ways I can make myself less and make Him greater?
words by Kate Payne and photo by Cate WillisSaveSaveSaveSave