Find Life in His Motivations

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” John 5:44

I’ve been told I have a pretty big personality. “A force of nature,” and “Small but mighty,” and “Extremely Extroverted” are all pretty consistent descriptions of me, and if honest? Ones I’ve even used for myself.

The thing is, though…I’m actually really insecure.

Even though I’m the mouse that takes the big bite of the lion… intrinsically, even at a sometimes subconscious level, there’s some ‘glory’ that comes with being the one who gets things done, and with such enthusiasm to boot.
That’s what we insecure people are all about sometimes, isn’t it? Proving our worth on this planet in the things we do and say and make happen? 
But for Christians who are insecure, dying to self means finding less reward in the glory we receive from others for the ‘work’ we do, and surrendering it all before God and seeking glory from Him only.
Dying to self doesn’t mean reflecting love and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and faithfulness and gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) through our own power and our own personality.

It means reflecting all of that because we’ve emptied ourselves out to our Father and asked HIM to show those things to the world through us.

Loving people because HE loves them, not just because He tells us to. Sharing all that we have because He’s a God of abundant blessings; not because we have a bit extra to put in the plate this week. Responding with grace and self-control not because we want to prove to people how disciplined we are, but because it’s the Holy Spirit guiding us to be so despite our humanity that would have us do otherwise.
For those of us who may feel insecure in this world, dying to self means finding our security in HIM and HIM alone. Seeking HIS glory. His reflection. His pleasure in us, His beloved children. It’s easy to get caught up in being a ‘good’ Christian and doing all the ‘Christian’ things, but if we’re finding personal gratitude and glory in doing so, we may not be dying to self as much as we’d like to claim.

So in all you do, do it for HIM. Listen to HIS convictions and callings and not those of others around you. Seek His glory and find LIFE as you die to your own motivations.