Honor Hunger

Galatians 5:13-15; 24 – 6:5

I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being, and then I get to another stage and think I'm mediocre and uninteresting. . . . Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that's always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I've become Somebody, I still have to prove I'm Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.

“vain honor or glory” or “empty of honor or glory.”

Paul says, (26) Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Provoking one another and envying one another.

“You must lose yourself to find yourself (in Christ).”

It is the gospel of grace made effective in your life by the Holy Spirit that is the means of changing all of this.

Jesus creates a new self-image based upon Him and not us

CS Lewis said,
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself: it is thinking of yourself less.”

Tim Keller poses some helpful questions to ask as you do so to identify which form of conceit rises most in you.

Do I have a tendency to “blow up” or do I tend to “clam up?”
Do I tend to pick arguments with people or do I completely avoid confrontation?
Do I tend to get very down on individuals and groups of people or am I more often embarrassed and intimidated around certain classes or kinds of people?
When criticized, do I get very angry and very judgmental and simply attack right back or do I get very discouraged and very defensive, make lots of excuses, or give right in?
Do I often think: I would never, ever do what this person has done? Or do I look at people and say: I could never, ever accomplish what this person does?

Think on and preach to your heart the gospel!

Colossians 1:27: To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

John Stott writes,
“Christian relationships are not governed by rivalry but by service. The correct attitude towards people is not, ‘I’m better than you and I’ll prove it,’ nor ‘You’re better than I and I resent it’, but ‘You are a person of importance in your own right because God made you in His own image and Christ died for you and it is my joy and privilege to serve you’.”

Look to Jesus