Recognition

We all want it at some time ot another, that’s life, we are human, and we have sin nature and are selfish sometimes. If you fit in this category you are normal. As Christians we can overcome this sin by prayer, repentance, and the grace given to us by Jesus. To say you have never wanted recognition means you are probably not honest with yourself. And if we continually strive for recognition, pout because we don’t get it enough, and feel “poor me” then that is a problem we need to deal with. The sooner the better!

There are plenty of verses that tell us not to seek attention or recognition for what we do such as: In Matthew 6:1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” And Philippians 2:3-5, Gal. 1:10, John 5:44 and one that I sometimes have a hard time doing, Matthew 6:3, “when you give don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing.”

At times I have started to list some of the thing I do that I think I need recognition for or the desire to inform my friend of  things I do in our ministry they may not know about but then I thought “if I do that isn’t it a backhanded way of seeking recognition? With that said and felt, I am only going to say I do struggle sometimes for the desire to seek and receive recognition for the good works I do but people may not know about. Fortunately I refer to prayer and scripture for advice on how to handle these thoughts and I am blessed because those thoughts go away before I act on them.

And besides the only one I need to please is my Lord and that’s the recognition that is important. Matthew 6:4 is a great reminder for me; “so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

So when you read our newsletters and posts describing what we do or successes we have please don’t think we are seeking recognition or praise. We are just sharing our experiences and challenges.  If we ever drift away and seem to be seeking recognition I expect out trusted brothers or sisters to let us know!

Point to ponder: Where do you stand with the desire of recognition?