Climbing Down from the Mountain of Self

Jesus clearly emphasized the foolishness of desiring the praise of men during His Sermon on the Mount.  The Sermon on the Mount teaches us how children of God should behave, using three examples:

1. Giving to the poor.  When you do something for those less fortunate, you should do it in private so that others do not honor you for the act of kindness.  If you bring attention to the deed, you’re doing it for your own glory.
2. The hypocrisy of wanting to live your life for God, yet also wanting to be noticed for doing so.  The Jewish leaders of the time wanted others to see how “spiritual” they were – so they would stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners.  Prayer is designed to draw us closer to God and to intercede on behalf of others.  There’s nothing fake about it!  It comes from a deep faith and trust in God and is between you and Him only.  When prayer is between you and God with no selfish motive, your reward comes from God in the form of a deeper relationship with Him, as well as contentment and peace.
3. Fasting (going without food to focus and meditate on spiritual things rather than physical things).  When we fast, we should do it in a way that is not noticeable to others.  Fasting is all about denying our flesh and renewing our spirits, drawing us closer to God.

 Just as Jesus illustrated for us in His Sermon on the Mount, your relationship with God is special and between you and Him.  When we do things as God’s children we should have no consideration for recognition.  Being noticed by others is an empty reward – and our ONLY reward.  The true reward will come from God and fill a void that goes deep into our souls.  Do you show people your relationship with God, or do you show them God through your relationship with them?

Jesus made it clear that living a godly life with the goal of being recognized by others is something that God wants no part of.  Learn more in my book Jesus Take the Wheel:  7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God.

Go to my website, www.letjesustakethewheel.com for more information, including testimonials, videos and resources for further study.

Running on Empty

Years ago I owned a car with a broken gas gauge.  No matter how far I’d drive, the gas gauge always read full.  I sometimes forgot about it and was fooled into thinking I had a full tank.  The gas gauge indicator was deceiving.  Several times I ran out of gas and was stranded on the side of the road.  Although the car looked fine on the outside, it was broken down and empty on the inside.

Doing good things in the name of God for self-recognition has no place with Him.  When you do, people will look to you and not to the Lord, and therefore miss out on the love of God.  When you put too much significance on your own importance, you promote a deceptive image.  On the outside there may be the appearance that all is well, that you are “filled up,” but most of the time you are just running on empty.  Self-importance provides little, if any, fuel for the journey.  You continue to try to fill yourself up with the fuel called ego, but it is quick-burning and unsustainable.

On the other hand, when you turn away from self-importance, you have the chance to be filled by the Holy Spirit.  Your tank will only accept the fuel of the love of God – fuel that never runs out.  As you continue to surrender to God and let Him take the wheel of your life, you will constantly be refilled with His love and begin to consider others as more important than yourself.  Not only that, but your life will overflow with love, peace and joy.

Ask yourself whether people see God through you, or if they see what you’ve done, your own accomplishments, and your own importance.

Do you know the 5 evidences of desiring self-importance and how to overcome them?  Check out my book Jesus Take the Wheel:  7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God.

Go to my website, www.letjesustakethewheel.com for more information, including testimonials, videos and resources for further study.

Shepherds Wanted!

Even though he became a very powerful man in Egypt, Moses wasn’t yet ready to be God’s leader.  First he needed to learn how to be a shepherd.  The position of shepherd was not a highly visible one, nor was it a position of great power or money.  A shepherd had one main responsibility:  to care for someone else’s flock of sheep.  He had to make sure the sheep stay together (something they do naturally), feed them and make sure they were well-cared for.  The job didn’t even require experience or much training.  This job gave Moses plenty of time to slow down his lifestyle and reflect.  There was no one around to praise him for being so great or important.  The pay just covered the basic needs of life – food, shelter, clothing, etc.  There were no fringe benefits or accumulation of material possessions.  He simply learned to serve someone else and care for their possessions rather than his own.  It was a way for him to lose focus on his own importance.

Then came the day that would change Moses’ life forever.  God appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush and called out to him, identifying himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Moses hid his face for fear of looking directly at God.  God told Moses he knew of the Jewish people’s sufferings in Egypt and He had come down to deliver them.  The deliverance had nothing to do with Moses or his abilities.  God was in control and HE would accomplish the deliverance.  Once Moses realized this, he was humbled enough to be put in a position to hear from God – and be used by Him.

Evaluate how significant your own importance is to you.  Do you act with the goal of recognition?  Do you often tell people about your accomplishments?  Are you worried about what other people think of you?  Do you admire people based on their possessions and clout?  Your importance in anything should be measured by how God is revealed to others through you:  your job, your marriage, your finances, your friendships, your ministry, your athletic accomplishments, or anything else.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”  When you consider yourself unimportant, you get out of the way of the Holy Spirit, letting Jesus take the wheel, and God’s light will shine through you.

Learn more about how to let go of self-importance in my book Jesus Take the Wheel:  7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God.

Go to my website, www.letjesustakethewheel.com for more information, including testimonials, videos and resources for further study.