All to Him I Owe

Early one morning, a number of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting the famed Utah Jazz basketball star Karl Malone at the Salt Lake City airport. Even though he worked hard not to be noticed, a number of people recognized Karl and asked him for his autograph. I was reminded that day of how one author humorously defined a celebrity: “a person who works hard all of his life to be known, then wears sunglasses to avoid being recognized.”

The word celebrity comes from a word that means “to frequent” or “to gain notice.” Some people, like firemen or good Samaritans, gain notice unintentionally. Other people, like actors, politicians, athletes, and even preachers, seem to actively pursue celebrity status. Whether the status was intentional or unintentional those people gained the attention of others.

In recent days, the Lord has been teaching me that within my fleshly nature is a desire to conduct myself in such a way that I gain the favorable attention of man. How destructive this behavior is! It facilitates so many sinful struggles that we face in life. For instance, it is often one of the root sins that can lead us into depression and deep discouragement, because we are living to be seen by men but sometimes don’t get the attention we crave. It serves as the sinful motive that leads us to purchase things we can’t afford to better present ourselves in the eyes of others and leaves us with excessive debt. It sometimes leads us to bizarre or outlandish behavior in our speech and dress. It causes us to lead our families into excessive schedules built around extracurricular activities and hobbies that are motivated by looking good in front of others.

One of the verses that God has been using in my life to reveal my sinful desire for attention is Philippians 1:20-21 which says, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The Apostle Paul desired the magnification of Christ in his life more than the magnification of himself. Rather than trying to gain attention through the way he lived, he wanted to give attention to Christ in the way he lived.

As you seek to grow in the area of giving attention to Christ, let me share three simple concluding thoughts.

1. Always remember that life is not about you! Your life has been given to you by God for a far greater purpose than your own self-magnification. Colossians 1:16-18 clearly teaches that we were created by God and for Him! We were created and we are being sustained so that Christ may have the preeminence.
2. Identify the ways in your life in which you attempt to magnify yourself in the eyes of others, and put those behaviors off. For instance, think about your dress. The whole issue of modesty/immodesty can be easily addressed by insuring that your motive in the things you wear and the way you wear them is to draw attention to God rather than yourself. Think about your speech. Do you speak quickly, loudly, or brashly simply to seize and capture the attention of others. Do you excessively use the word “I” in your sentences, making yourself the hero of all your stories so that others think well of you? What about Facebook? Do you post certain comments, pictures, or articles with the simple hope that you will receive multiple likes. What if you were to ask yourself this question before you post anything on social networks: “What could I say that brings God the most attention?” Finally, what about your purchases? Do you buy things for the purpose of causing others to think you are of a certain financial status or to gain the oohs and ahhs of others?
3. Finally, actively endeavor to promote Christ in your life! Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ.” He was both driven by and content with Christ being at the very center of his life. I pray that we would strive to live humbly beneath the shadow of Christ and His glory.

As you may guess, this really is a call for humility! Humble people strive to take any attention they receive (either intentionally or unintentionally) and divert it to God, Who is worthy of all praise!