Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. . . . The Lord will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receie his praise from God. (1 Cor. 4:2, 5)
Today, Sunday, I went with my family to a church gathering and I praised God for who he is and all of his goodness. One day, God is going to praise me! Now that sounds weird. Of course, that doesn't mean that God is going to worship me. He'll give me the kind of praise that I give my children when they do well, or the staff who work under me when they score a win.
Everything I have and am--my gifts, experiences, understanding of God's will--is a trust given me to use to bring the reign of God to dark places. I will have to answer for how well I managed that trust. One thing that scares me is the possibility that while I'm trying to bring the reign of God to dark places, I may glide right on over the dark places that still live in me. I know they're there. And I've seen others make that tragic mistake.
It's the ego needs that get in the way. I want people to remark about what a great leader, minister, or speaker I am. It's part of my human nature that I accept. But that ego need can drive me underground with my own life struggles and conflicted motives. Any masks I wear, any secret corruption that I hide to look good will be exposed in the end.
Better to be real. Better to bring the reign of God to my own darkness, shine the light around, and let others join me in my search for what God can do in me. He's the only one "in whom there is no darkness at all." Better to seek not the accolades of people, but the cheers of my eternal God and King.
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