You can read parts 1-5 of this blog by clicking on the Archives link on the left hand side of your screen or the Older Entries link at the bottom of the page.
To review: The marks of maturity are…
- Valuing spiritual things ahead of natural things
- Deadness to censure of praise
- How to handle correction
- Last week we began to look at the fourth mark – Handling positive praise!
I left off last week by asking the question- Does giving the credit to God minimize our gifts or anointing? Absolutely not! Jesus readily admitted that He was anointed. He even told the people in Nazereth that He was anointed (Luke 4). However, Jesus constantly acknowledged the Lord’s work and gave credit to God for the things He was used to do. Notice some of Jesus’ statements in the Gospel of John.
John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
Jesus did not allow the praise of people to inflate His heart and mind with pride. He also did not commit to people just because they praised Him.
John 2:23-25, NLT Because of the miraculous signs he did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell him about human nature.
Jesus lets us know that human nature can change in a moment if it is not grounded in the things of God. Let me show you a vivid example of this.
In Acts 27, the Apostle Paul suffered ship wreck and ended up on the island of Malta. Notice what the people thought of him and how quick they were to change their opinion.
Acts 27:3-6 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
What did the people say about Paul? One minute the criticized him for being a murderer who got what he deserved. The next minute they called him a god and wanted to worship. Praise is often an expression of wonder not an indication of commitment. That is one of the reasons why Jesus and Paul were not moved by it.
Next week we will finish up this blog series by looking at the fifth and final mark of maturity!