Do we lavishly celebrate those who come to Christ? Are we joyfully praising those who have made steps to walk more closely with their Savior? When brothers and sisters use the gifts that God has given them to glorify Jesus and expand God's kingdom, do we praise and thank them in tangible ways for their giftedness and service?
Unfortunately, I think many times the answer to those questions would have to be no. It seems strange to me that we would not be quick to celebrate, praise and encourage each other, but somehow I think we have twisted the purpose for the encouragement and made it something unholy.
I have heard 2 reasons (stemming from the same issue) for why we hold back our praise instead of lavishly celebrating one another. First, people are afraid that by celebrating an individual they are somehow stealing praise from God. I have a problem with this line of thinking because it seems to ignore the fact that we have been created by God, and that when we praise each other we are, in essence, praising God.
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
We are God's greatest work of art, His crowning achievement in all of creation. We have been created in His image, and every good gift we have comes from him. When we exercise those gifts we are bringing glory to our Creator. Think about it this way: imagine an artist who has painted a phenomenal portrait. She is unbelievably proud of this work and often visits the gallery where it hangs to watch other peoples' reactions to it. Do you think she is bothered when the crowds ohh and ahh over this piece of artwork? Do you think she feels slighted and offended that they are talking about the painting instead of the artist? NO!!! When people walk through and praise her painting she beams with pride and joy because the picture is, in many ways, her. She is one with her prized piece and any accolades that her art receives go straight to her; even if the adoring crowd has no idea who the artist is.
In the same way God has created each of us uniquely and has gifted us for a specific purpose. When someone praises my musical ability they are praising my God - because He made me this way. Sure, I practiced and prepared and worked hard to achieve a high level of musicianship, but God gave me the fingers to play the songs and the ears to hear the beat. I believe that my musical ability is the result of God in me. I believe He is standing at the back of the sanctuary, beaming with pride when my brothers and sisters encourage and applaud my offering. When they encourage me, they essentially acknowledge Him.
The second reason I have heard for holding back praise is that it creates an environment in-conducive to humility. If we praise and encourage someone for a particular gift they have we run the risk of giving them a "big head" and causing them to stumble.
I am sorry, but that is just not biblical. The Scriptures are filled to overflowing with wild, passionate encouragements for believers. Paul goes on and on at the start of just about every letter about the wonderful things he has heard about the individuals he is writing to. He is honest about their weaknesses, but he doesn't fail to applaud and encourage their successes. (Think about the way the angel addresses Mary in Luke: "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." He didn't say, "Greetings, you who are mostly favored - but don't let that get to your head because you are also a sinner and need to remember that you have a long way to go before you will be truly worthy, so, let's not get too excited here.")
The truth of the matter is this: it isn't my job to keep you humble, nor is it your job to humble me. If we withhold praise for fear of sending someone down the wrong path, we often jump start their journey in that direction. I am more likely to become self consumed when I am uncertain of other people's perceptions of me. In fact, I become paralyzed when I feel insecure and unsure of how people actually feel. When I am encouraged, however, I feel free to continue running after Christ, using the gifts He has given me without shame or fear of rejection.
If a true follower of Christ is encouraged to the point of self obsession, then you can be certain that the Holy Spirit will move in their lives and bring them back to a place of humility. We all need to remember where we stand; that our gifts make us no more worthy than any other individual we know. It is not our strengths that define us, but our Savior.
We have, however, been given these gifts to strengthen each other and edify the body. Lets be the kind of people who praise the believers in our midst, instilling within them a great level of confidence in the way that God made them. Lets praise them for who God made them to be, filling them with courage to offer their gifts to the best of their ability.
Lets praise each other, knowing that ultimately we are praising the one and only Creator.
No comments:
Post a Comment