What is your response if, after having completed an act of kindness, you are confronted with the question, “Whose glory are you seeking?” Very early in my Christian walk my mentor, Verna Birkey, taught me a motto that has consistently challenged me to examine the motive behind my acts of kindness—“I am a personal representative of the living God, on assignment to make God visible to others around me.” Daily, it is my prayer that I will “walk worthy of my calling” (Eph. 4:1-3) and will seek to bring glory to my heavenly Father (Col. 3:23-24).
Throughout my teaching career my students have been one of the greatest sources of accountability relating to whose glory I am seeking. Though I dispersed a considerable amount of spiritual and academic content in the classroom, I suspect I taught them more outside of it. Throughout the day, they observed whether or not the character principles I taught were important enough to me to implement them in my interaction with others. They heard how I answered my phone, discerned my attitude when I was interrupted, and observed how I interacted with my faculty, administrative assistant, a variety of campus workers, as well as guests to our facility. Throughout the day I could either reinforce or negate my classroom instruction. Recently a graduate wrote that she shared with her boss counsel I gave to her outside of the classroom. Little did I know that those simple words would follow her into her professional life!
Three unnamed women from Scripture are role models to me as I contemplate how a simple action is the pebble in the pond whose ripple effect produces eternal results. I encourage you to personally search the Scriptures to increase your understanding of these and others who performed unassuming actions that brought glory to God.
The woman who suffered from chronic internal bleeding that impacted her physically and spiritually. She had the faith to believe that Jesus could heal her by simply touching His garment (Matt. 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-47).
The anonymous woman, identified only as “a sinner,” who anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:37-50).
The Samaritan Woman who came to the community well to draw water and chose to speak to a Stranger. This action revolutionized her life and subsequently the lives of others. Her influence continues into the 21st century as multitudes have come to Christ “because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did’” (John 4:39). Only heaven will reveal the vast and far-reaching fruits of this unnamed woman’s actions (John 4:1-42).
My actions must be motivated by a heart of love for God rather than the desire for the “praise of men” (John 12:43) if I want them to bring glory to Him. Often, the application of this truth begins with an act of the will by simply doing the right thing and then allowing my emotions to catch up with me (the book of Psalms is directed to my will, not my emotions). May I encourage you to practice this technique? Kelsey’s Korner tenderly describes two examples of individuals who did.
KELSEY’S KORNER
September 10th, two years ago, my mother left this earth and her battle with cancer and was welcomed into the arms of her Creator. As I, and countless others, spent the 10th reflecting on her life, several of her defining attributes took center stage. My mother was marked by her relentless kindness, her genuine selflessness, her stark humility, and most of all, her love for her Lord and Savior. Throughout the day, many of my mom’s friends posted memories and stories on my Facebook, recounting occasions of my mother’s kindnesses and service to them. Many of these friends claimed that my mom’s faithful witness had altered the direction of their lives. One woman shared that my mother was the tool the Lord used to bring her to salvation! As people interacted with my mom during her life and as they watched her faithfulness and trust as she died, one theme stands out—people were convicted of their sins, reminded of the Lord’s grace, and pushed toward Christ. My mom was completely unaware of her impact—she simply lived for the Lord and not for man—yet her faithfulness left a lasting impression on the people around her.
In a similar vein, I recounted a story in May’s blog post of a kind elderly man the Lord sovereignly had me meet at a Walmart. Compelled by the Holy Spirit, this man was led to financially help feed the less fortunate. But his impact did not end simply in a family receiving groceries—the Lord has allowed the man’s faithful example to have a ripple effect for the Kingdom, impacting the lives of dozens, possibly hundreds, of people as they read his story in our blog as well as the blog Heritage of Truth. The kind man simply acted in faith and trust in the Lord, desiring to honor God in his actions. He is completely unaware how much of an impact his actions have had!
Reflecting on these two faithful saints has recently prompted some self-examination. Why do I do the things that I do, and who do I ultimately do them for? Paul’s encouragements in the book of Colossians come to mind:
…Obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ (Col. 3:23-24).
Similar to the bondservants, our actions are ultimately for the Lord, not man! With this in mind, here are some questions we can ask ourselves to help us learn to work heartily for the Lord.
“What would honor the Lord most in this situation?” No matter the circumstance, as ambassadors of Christ, this should be our foremost question. Maybe we are subject to the occasional monotony of motherhood and homemaking and feel like all of our actions go unnoticed. Or maybe we are serving the Lord in full-time ministry and feel like our sacrifice and hard work is unappreciated. Sisters, the Lord sees our actions, and He is the one we were created to serve and please, not man! No matter the circumstance, we can have confidence that when we honor the Lord with our actions, they will not go unnoticed by Him.
“Whose glory am I seeking?” This question can seem like a no-brainer, but it’s a question we need to seriously ponder.
Do you need people to know what you have done in order to feel validated? Sometimes we feel like we are seeking to glorify God, but our intentions are often cloaked in the need to glorify ourselves. Do you tell everyone (or really really want to) what you’ve done? Alternatively, do you find contentment and joy in your actions if not a soul were to ever find out?
If people do find out, what do you secretly hope they will think? When we are seeking our own glory, we may fantasize about the praise and awe we would receive if people discover our actions. When we seek to glorify God, however, we desire that when people see out actions, they glorify our God in heaven (Matt. 5:16), not us.
We are sinners saved by grace. Our actions, apart from the power and work of the Holy Spirit, could never honor God, so why do we strive so hard to lay claim to our good works, stealing the glory from God? Like my mother and the kind man, let us strive to present our works before the Lord alone, trusting and allowing Him to receive the glory.
THE EVERYDAY HOMEMAKER’S MONTHLY MEDITATION THOUGHT
God’s Word states, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Therefore, I may boldly say, when others view my actions, I want them to know that they are motivated by my loving heavenly Father.”
You might enjoy other of our servanthood related Posts:
Modeling Mary’s Servant’s Heart
Will You Leave a Legacy or an Inheritance?
Do You Have the Heart of a Servant?
Blessings on your day as you focus on making your house a home!