Do They See You or Christ in You?

Too many times, we have the propensity to seek after things that will bring glory to ourselves instead Christ.  Let me first say, there is nothing wrong with striving for excellence, getting a promotion, having nice things.  The issue has more so to do with the motive behind these desires.  Motives reveal the condition of the heart.  This requires honest introspection.  As Christians, we can allow these things to bring glory to ourselves instead of bringing glory to God.  We can say things like, “Praise God for these things” but deep down, we seek after fame, fortune, position, etc.  I even know pastors who are more concerned about how well they are known in the circles than concerned with the lost.  They promote themselves instead of Christ.  There are Christians that look to their advancement for their selfish gain rather than using their gifts to advance the Kingdom.  There are Christians who separate their professional life from their spiritual life.  There are those who started out with focused intention but as things came their way, pride diverted their attention to self.  The problem with pride is that it focuses on self but never sees the true self, because it is clouded with pride.  The very thing that causes us to look out only for our self is the very thing that causes us not to see who we really are; and we don’t even know it.

So here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I promote myself or Christ?
2. Do I use my name more or Christ’s name more when presenting to others?
3. When I receive something (promotion, influence, success, nice things), what is the first thing I think of doing with that?
4. Would my life lose meaning if no one knew about me?
5. Do I want people to talk more about me or Christ in me?

The correct answers to these questions are obvious but it’s far more difficult to be honest with the answers which apply to us.  Do you want people to recognize you or Christ in you?  Do they?