Glory And Belief

"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? (Jn 5:44 NASB)

Let’s take a moment and ask ourselves which we desire more, to receive glory from man or the glory that is from God. Do we do what we do to be seen by men and be recognized and well thought of by them, or do we do what we do because we love God? Do we do what we do because we want to impress others or give them a certain impression of our selves, or do we do what we do because of who we are? Do we only do what we do only when people can see us doing it, or do we also do what we do when they can‘t?

The Pharisees did nothing in hiddeness. Matthew writes, "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' (Mt 25:5-7 NIV).

Both desires have an effect on our ability to believe God and His Word. One group loves to be seen, recognized, and given honor by man resulting in the inability to believe God because they do not hold Him in honor. The other group loves to be hidden in and see God, resulting in the ability to believe God, trust in Him and His word.

Religion is about performance and being recognized for that performance resulting in rituals. Relationship on the other hand is about knowing and being known, resulting in being and doing. Being is enjoying being His and in relationship with Him and hidden in Him resulting in an overflow of His life through us enabling our doing of the good works which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Ep 2:10).

One brings glory to man, the other brings glory to God. One brings the inability to believe, the other increases the ability to believe. One brings death, the other brings Life.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. (Jn 12:42-43 NIV)