Insidious Praise
Today I had the pleasure of preaching at CentrePoint Church, and by all measurable accounts, it went well. That’s a good thing.
After church, I had a lot of people come up and encourage me on how the message went, and how God touched them through it. That’s also a good thing.
However, after some of these compliments, my heart began to feel very proud, as though I had done something greater than what God had done.
May we expositors and preachers of God’s precious word never come to enjoy the praise of men more than the smile of our King. For to do so would be idolatry of another name, and the beginning of the ugliest kind of pride…the religious kind. The praise of men can be very encouraging, and very insidious. Let us appropriate it well.
I’m glad that you’re awesome but want to know how rubbish you are. Praise is a hard thing to take (strangely!) By the way i thought the sermon was rubbish. (Obviously i’m joking!) We’re going to miss you champ
one big thing i have learned from you during my brief period as your friend is a heightened perception of one’s own sinful heart. your blog really is your confessional in this respect! at some point I have some feedback regarding tonight’s sermon, not from one who has preached as much as you, but from one who has sat at the feet of some of the best. that’ll humble ya…advice from a less experienced preacher!
The first few times I preached things went really really well. I received very many complements and words on how God had used it to change people. I asked my dad about how to deal with pride from the complements. He told me this, “after you speak approach God with all the praise you’ve received and offer it up as a burnt offering to God.” Kinda esoteric but it’s always worked well for me. Being in the image of God we are to reflect God’s glory from God to man. Can we also reflect or redirect man’s praise to God as well? I believe with real humility we can.
@TMS – thanks for the not compliments. That helps
@Mark – would love your thoughts.
@Natha – wow. very helpful thought. I hadn’t thought about heaping my praise onto God. Very good, and rather freeing. Thanks.
Adam Mabrys last blog post..Insidious Praise
Fav Tim Keller quote of what he heard from God after reading Romans 1:17 translated “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” God then immediately spoke to him and said “And he who through preaching is righteous shall die.”
Amen and amen.
Clayton Bells last blog post..Imitation is the highest form of…?