READ: 2 Samuel 15:3-6 (Read this five times.)
Then
Absalom would say, "Look, you've got a strong case; but the king isn't
going to listen to you." Then he'd
say, "Why doesn't someone make me a judge for this country? Anybody with a case could bring it to me and
I'd settle things fair and square."
Whenever someone would treat him with special honor, he'd shrug it off
and treat him like an equal, making him feel important. Absalom did this to everyone who came to do
business with the king and stole the hearts of everyone in Israel
THINK: "There are point in our lives (more
often than we would like to admit) when we are attempt consciously or
subconsciously to promote ourselves in unhealthy and selfish ways. We puff ourselves up, brag about our
accomplishments, and embellish the truth."
"Absalom, the son of King David,
promotes himself for selfish gain in front of those who came to the city
gate. The text says he "stole the
hearts of everyone in Israel."
"When are you most tempted to
steal the hearts of everyone in_______________?
Think about your most recent Absalom moment. Consider the roots of your temptation and how
you might avoid it in the future."
I
have to admit that there have been plenty of times when I have wanted to steal
people's hearts by coming off as pleasing or by showing off my work. In fact, I used to get my husband's hand and
lead him through the house when he came from work just to show him what all I
had done for the day so that he could tell me "Good Job." I justified it by telling myself that if I
didn't do that, he probably wouldn't notice.
Now…just so you know, I'm not that far off. However, I heard a sermon several years ago
that left me feeling rather convicted of those activities. This sermon included the scripture that says
that we are supposed to do everything as unto the Lord, and that we should be
storing up treasures for ourselves in Heaven AND that it is better for God to
promote us than it is for us to try to promote ourselves because Our Father who
sees those things done in secret will reward us.
That
being said, more often than not, I am guilty of fishing for compliments. I have a tendency to downplay what I've done
anyway, but when someone turns around and counters that with a compliment on
how well I've done, it can feed the ego.
There have been times, I won't lie, when I have thrown out those
statements as bait, just hoping someone would bite and I'd get my compliment
"fix". However, there have
been plenty of times when I've thrown out that bait and never gotten a
bite. It's a bad habit that I still
struggle with occasionally, but I am getting used to letting God honor me for
being obedient to him rather than stealing His chance to do so by seeking out
my own form of praise.
PRAY: "Spend time inviting God to remind you
that he loves you just the way you are, that you cannot earn his approval. Welcome God to show you your true identity as
his child, an identity that is defined not by what you do, but by who you are
and to whom you belong."
Dear
Heavenly Father, I know you do not make mistakes. Therefore, there is not a single person on
Earth who is not exactly how you intended them to be. Therefore, we all have been designed to
fulfill a unique person. Lord, please
help me and each person reading this to remember that we are fearfully and
wonderfully made and that you knew us before you knitted us together in our
mothers' wombs, and to behave in a manner worthy of our divine calling, rather
than sitting around complaining that we are not like "so-n-so." You love us, and want each of us to know that
and to experience the truth of that love deep down in our hearts and
spirits. Help us to know what that looks
like and to trust it, walking in it daily, without fear of rejection.
LIVE: "Ask a good friend to gently keep you
accountable when you begin to promote yourself in front of others. Be ready to accept your friend's input."
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