Tested By Your Praise

The song “O Lord, You’re Beautiful” has been on my mind today.  After my sweet boy went down for his nap, I decided to look up the words because I could only think of the short chorus that we usually sing. I found several sites that had basically the same lyrics, but then I found this video.  Watch it Here.I loved the song before I knew all the words, but I love it even more after hearing this! 

The part that I have been thinking about today is this: 

“I want to take your Word and shine it all around,

But first, help me to just live it Lord,

And when I’m doing well,

Help me to never make a sound, 

Except to give all the glory to you.”

God tells us in Proverbs 27:2 to “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth…”

I think if we’re being honest, we could all admit that we like to receive praise; praise from peers, praise from our family, praise at work, praise at school, praise in sports, praise at church.

Praise isn’t a bad thing, in itself. It’s when we do things for the purpose of receiving praise, that it can start to hurt us in our walk with God. 

Matthew Chapter 6, verses 1-4 says that if we do good things to be seen and praised by others, that praise from others will be our reward. Instead we should do them in secret, so that we can receive our reward from God. 

When we start seeking and getting praise from others, it’s hard not to start feeling like we deserve it. It’s easy to become prideful when you are receiving praise. 

But we are warned in Proverbs 16:18 that “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 27:21 tells us that “People are tested by their praise.”

God knows our heart. If our motivation to do good is to be liked and praised by people, He knows. And it’s hard not to want to be liked and praised. So what should we do?

God wants us to rely on Him for help in everything. So first, we need to ask Him to help us not desire human approval over His approval. He can help us do what we can’t do on our own.  When we pray and ask for help, we will have a closer relationship with God.  Not only that, but He will answer our prayer for help. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

Secondly, when we do receive praise, always be thankful and give Him all the glory and praise. “In every thing give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1 

And lastly, remember that above all else, God wants us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Matthew 6:33