Resisting Personal Glory: The True Purpose of our Gifts

Jun 12

I’ll be honest. Being a creative, but also being a Christian, is a very difficult calling for me.

You see, I've grown so accustomed to receiving praise and recognition for my skills that it's become almost second nature for me to seek my own glory. (In fact, I will be discussing this more in an upcoming video!)

But recently, I've come to realize that there’s an alternative—a way that goes against our natural instincts.

The Instinct of Seeking Personal Glory

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18)

In his letters, Paul challenges us to consider how we can find contentment in Christ being preached. It’s amazing to me that he also encourages the Philippian church not to be too concerned with the sincerity of preaching of these “super-apostles”. Instead, he encouraged them to be contented in this: that Christ is preached.

It's a humbling thought, isn't it? How can we shift our focus from seeking personal fulfillment to rejoicing in the simple fact that the gospel is preached—whether we get any credit or not? And how does this relate to being a Christian creative?

Help to Help Others

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order than in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

First, we must remember why God deserves all credit in the first place. Peter reminds us of a beautiful truth: when we serve, we do so by the strength that God supplies. Our own strength is unreliable and ever-changing, but God's strength is constant and unwavering.

If you’re a creative, then you probably know very well that your motivation to create is incredibly volatile. Moreover, once we publish our works for others to see and experience, we are very eager to hear what they think, and more often than not, their response would dictate how we would feel about our work.

But in light of the truth that our strength is actually supplied by God (not us)—our ability to carry them out, our motivation, our resources, our body parts that do the work, our brains that do the thinking—does it make sense then that our egos would be so invested in the opinions of others?

Though Paul was a gifted teacher, he understood that he was a vessel—a steward of God’s varied grace. And all he cared about was serving others through preaching Christ. This humble, self-forgetful state is what all Christians, I believe, must aspire towards. This is the only way we can help people to help people, whether through direct help, or serving them with our skills: when we embrace the fact that we are mere reflections of God’s grace.

A Reflection of God’s Grace

Here's the incredible thing: even in our solitary creative pursuits, we can still love. We can infuse love into every brushstroke, every word written, every note composed. Our gifts are not meant to be vessels of self-promotion; they are reflections of God's grace, and their purpose is to preach the Gospel to the world.

When you understand that your skill is entrusted to you, you will be much more deliberate with how to use it. Moreover, you would be fully aware that it is not for your personal glory (though God graciously gifts us with the pleasure of enjoying our gifts!), but it is for the glory of He who entrusted it to us.

We are God’s microphone: a microphone wouldn’t draw attention to itself. It is simply an instrument that magnifies what God has to say. Yes, God doesn’t need us microphones to do His work. Yet He wants to use us! He wants to involve us in His message of love and salvation being shared to the world!

Can you imagine God wanting to use you as his microphone, yet when He speaks, the sound we project is random noise, or “Look at me, I’m amazing!”, or—probably even worse—nothing? When we don’t cooperate with God, it’s not that we hinder His plans (who are we to think we have that much power?), but rather, we miss out on the joy of joining Him.

If the joy of the walking in step with the Lord is not enough for you, consider the reality of judgment for a more balanced view.

The End is Near

There’s a significance to keeping the end in sight as it relates to our service: we are going to be judged. We will not be judged by what our gifts were, or how much human praise we’ve received for it. Instead, we will be judged by how faithful we have been in using the gifts entrusted to us, particularly in displaying the glory of God by loving others.

So if you feel unmotivated to be intentional with your gifts, or if you feel distracted by the opinions of others, remember this: you are ultimately accountable to God alone.

His Strength, Our Joy

Let's be mindful of Peter's words: "whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies." In everything we do, let's strive to bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. May we surrender our desire for personal acclaim and embrace the joy that comes from using our gifts to bless others.

Keep creating, keep shining, and keep pointing others to the One who deserves all the glory.

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