Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

Whose good opinion do you most value?

Whose respect do you work the hardest to gain?

When you do something you’re proud of, who do you want to know first?

For me, it can be so tempting to overly prioritize people’s opinions of me. When I respect someone, I work hard to earn their respect in return. Unfortunately, this desire can tempt me to do good things for the wrong reasons. Instead of doing the right thing simply because it is right, sometimes I do it for the sake of my own reputation. But Jesus says in Matthew 6:1, “‘Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.’” In verses 5 and 6, He continues, “‘When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.’”

There is no opinion that matters more than God’s. Yet there is no opinion for which the world cares less. People will go to any extent and sacrifice any principles to gain the commendation of the world, yet never seek the approval of the God who sees all and still loves them deeply. There are so many lost souls who crouch behind a façade of worldly arrogance, terrified lest their value lessen in another’s eyes. Exhausted from the effort, they still fight to display their “goodness” so that the world might see and admire them. And all for what? As Jesus said in the passage quoted above, we lose our reward with God when we seek our reward from the world. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” Which would you rather hear: the temporary and meaningless flattery of the world, or the everlasting words “well done, My good and faithful servant”?

The devil loves to make us believe our work doesn’t matter—that it is not noticed by anyone and we might as well give up the effort. But this can never be anything but a lie. Even if we walk through life without a single word of praise or encouragement from another human being, our deeds are still never overlooked. Our Father in heaven never misses a single thing. We don’t have to tell Him of the good things we have done, for He already knows them all. This knowledge gives us strength to carry on with the personal mission He has given us. He sees every struggle, every victory, and every defeat. He knew when you kept trusting though the path was dark ahead. He saw when you chose righteousness over the temptations of the world. He heard your whispered prayer in the depth of your darkest night. And He will never let any of it go to waste.

How do we avoid the temptation to display our righteousness to the world? In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul writes, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Read that last sentence again. This is the answer. Our lives are not our own; they are bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. In every word and action, we should be displaying to the world the greatness of our God, because it is always present in our minds. We should pray that our lives do not attract attention to ourselves, but to our Lord. Psalm 34:2 says, “My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.” Why should the humble rejoice to hear the boasting of another? Because this “boasting” is not an arrogant display of self-righteousness, but a wholehearted praise of the Creator of the universe. Paul writes, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). What could we ever have to boast of in comparison to the awe-inspiring, life-changing, self-sacrificial gospel of Christ? He has done an amazing work in the lives of all who believe in Him. It is He who our lives should exalt every single day. In every word, every deed, and every moment, may we point not to ourselves, but to our wonderful Savior.

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot given an answer.

But this I know with all my heart:

His wounds have paid my ransom.

Stuart Townend