One of the greatest pitfalls of serving Christ is desiring self-glory, of giving to Him all that we are, save perhaps for that last five percent. “But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” (John 10:38)
We are known by our fruits, (Matt. 7:20) if others cannot see the Holy Spirit of God inside of you by your works, your deeds and words, then there is a good possibility that you are deceiving yourself about your salvation. When those things are known of us, when the mighty works are done through us by His power, pride can easily slip in if we are not constantly vigil. When our adversary was contending for the body of Moses, (Jude 1:9) he knew full well this fact, the people were looking to Moses to lead them in the paths that God had placed before them, many looked to him instead of directly to the Lord, but the servant of God, the meek man (Numb. 12:3) would have nothing of it, one hundred percent of the glory went to God, none was kept for himself.
Such is our life to be, first we must be sure we remain on the path that we know He has set us upon, we must never deviate, second, all glory must be to Him, none, not even one small part must be reserved for ourselves. The path of pride is easy to traverse, after all, are we not willing to be used, have we not made ourselves available, do we not have a family to provide for? By falling into this trap we are seeking for some form of reward here in this life, we are showing little patience, we are not satisfied, at least for the moment with what we already have. To live a crucified life is to lead a life dead to self, all of our desires, every want, even every need must be given over into the hands of Christ, no thought of self-recognition must even be allowed to find a place of rest within us.
It is why this letter began with the pitfalls of serving the Lord, the frustrations that come with watching a lost world tear itself apart, the knowledge that millions each month are pouring into hell, those are burdens enough that we are asked to bear, but place on top of it the selfish desires that still remain in us, and you have a recipe for disaster if the face of Almighty God is not sought each day.
You must study and contemplate His word each day, you must seek to be filled with the knowledge of His will at all times, (Col. 1:9) to trust in Him with all your heart, (Prov. 3:5) but above all you must guard yourself from yourself. The greatest example of a fall in this way was the first one, when Lucifer decided for himself what was best for him. (Isaiah 14:14) The pinnacle of evil is where pride rests, and to attempt to glory in anything for the purpose of either self-recognition or recognition from others will lead inevitably to a separation from the Lord God. It is He who reigns supreme, it is He that is to receive all glory and honor, for without Him nothing would exist. For man, who can no more control the number of his days any more than he can command the stars or the great oceans, to attempt to bring upon himself any form of recognition is beyond foolish.
He who abides in the eternal will not suffer it, and it is a grave error for any in His creation to seek it. The more the Lord asks us to do for Him, the greater the possibility for the fall, history has proven this fact innumerable times, was not Satan the covering cherubim, would Michael not even contend with him? Great power and gifts are bestowed upon those in whom Almighty God has entrusted them to, always for His glory, never for our own. One of the most admirable things a man can do is forsake himself, to let go completely of every desire, of every care and concern, to love not his life even to the end, all for the glory of Jesus Christ, such love that was shown to us, such sacrifice, such a price that was paid for you should know no other possible action.
If you cannot see past this life, if you are not contemplating the eternal constantly, you will find great difficulty in completing this task, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6) And those rewards, although welcomed, are not to be expected or even desired here. The man who has set his face like a flint to serve Christ knows full well the reward, it is Jesus Christ Himself.
Here I will leave you with a thought to ponder, one to let you possibly see where you are in your walk with Him. If the Lord Jesus Christ meets you at the gate of heaven, as it were, and beyond it you can see even just the smallest view of the infinite wonders that await all of His children for all eternity, would you pass through that gate, or be content to just sit by His side.
