Not A Glory Hog

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” – Galatians 6:14

The scripture tells us that all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; and these are not of the Father but of the world.  Pride is as damning to man’s soul as much as alcohol or fornication ever was; perhaps more so.  The propensity within us is to glory in ourselves, with or without merit.  This directly conflicts with the desire of God to get glory out of us.  Therefore, God forbid that I should glory.

It is no surprise that God’s Word has a lot to say about pride.  Pride cometh before destruction, God resisteth the proud but giveth grace toward the humble.  Pride ripped the kingdom away from Saul.  Pride killed Samson.  Pride caused David to sin.  It didn’t do much for Solomon, or king Nebuchadnezzar.  If you want to stall the work of the Lord, get a big dose of pride in your system.  The carnal nature is enmity against God because it wants to be God; or at least in the place of God.  The desire to hear our own name, advance our reputation, and create our own legacy; this can drive us to build, work, and create.  While it is a fine thing to do a good job, have some in store, and be good stewards of what we have; there is danger in being a “glory hog.”  Danger in failing to recognize that God gets all the glory, all the time.  God forbid I should glory in my occupation.  God forbid I should glory in myself.  God forbid I should glory in my stuff.  The devil is so crafty when it comes to pride and glorying.  It is a temptation that anyone, anywhere, can fall into.  So subtle is the change in allegiance in the human heart, from loving God to loving the world that sometimes you don’t even notice it at first; until years later you wake up and realize just how lost you really are.  Realize that you have spent your life adding to yourself wealth and riches, whilst claiming to seek God and justifying your actions by saying I am working to gain so that I may give to his kingdom and his Son.  Spent your life building business, charities, churches, all for the glory of man and not the glory of God.  The devil can take the grandest of ideals that you have, the noblest of causes; and turn them on you.  Tempt you to glory in them, trap you by enticing you to glorying in yourself.  When, what are we really but stewards of that which the Lord gives?  The fact is, to the Christian, this body and the things of this life are “borrowed for a while.”  If you truly have this outlook the temptation to idolize your things and covet the things of others is far less potent.  Furthermore, it is hard to glory in yourself and your things if you truly believe that they are God’s, so you do not glory in them you glory in God because he allows them to be yours.  In this sieve of stewardship and borrowed time you sift all things while “Seeking first the Kingdom of God.”  In the honor of stewardship and the desire to glorify God you find the drive to build, work, and create.  The only route to take in this life that leads away from pride and glorying in yourself is the death route.  Death to self, and death to sin.

Paul leaves with us the silver bullet.  Profound exhortation.  That we should not glory, save only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The cross of Christ paid the debt, and the resurrection of Christ brought the victory.  When you have crucified sin and self and been raised to righteousness by the same power that raised Jesus; this is separates you from the world.  The separation births the resurrection bring the power.  Power to live every day, dead to sins and alive to God.  Power to stay dead to yourself and keep your life hid with Christ in God.  God will get the glory, leaving yourself and the world out of it.