Loneliness Blessing Three; Obscurity and Moderation

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Suffering as a Blessing,
Loneliness as a Blessing Part Three
Blessed Obscurity and Moderation

No one should think more highly of himself that he ought to. No one should esteem himself in the same fashion. (1)

A Christian lives to glorify God as God. Ours is a station of submission and declaration. Self promotion, self glorification, and so many other action and precepts that are given to the prefix 'self' are inherently upside down when put in conjuncture with self.

If a Christian is a writer, then he cannot write with the intent of drawing attention, or riches, to himself. A sure sign of this selfishness is sadness at a lack of readership. Surely such a lack of attention is a blessing. It forces us to see our true face. If we are ignored as Christian writers and we are not caused to waver in our faithfulness to this service to our God, then our hearts may be true. Let each search his own heart in prayer with the mirror of God's word.

If one becomes successful, let it be as a pointing to the truth. Let us not revile attention or popularity, but see it as a challenge to point back to the Creator and Savior. The wine bottle's importance is directly related to the value of its contents. Without the wine the bottle is worthless. If God has chosen you to be a bearer of a particularly expensive wine find joy not in your own importance, but in the chance to humbly glorify God and to point to Him as every turn. A Christian is meaningless without Christ.

Let the resources acquired by one's lot go to the glory of God. It is right for one to take care of one's family. It is wrong, though, to equate frivolous want to valid needs. Modesty is a virtue as high as justice. Justice is upheld even by the foolish because when injustice strikes them they can easily claim to be actin in justice when they demand equity. Modesty is upheld when one's means allots only the most modest of modes of living; one cannot claim modesty then. But when one chooses modesty (whether in dress, living, foods, appearance, personality) when one could easily embrace selfish display or selfish experience, this is virtue.

If one builds up his church with much fervor (whether in reputation or in physical structure) it is easy to become selfish. "Look at how much we love God." Listen to the wonderful band we have... to worship God with!" "Look at how we feed the poor." "Look at ho w we declare God's word." These are self aggrandizement. All is vanity without love. Love does not boast, and it is not arrogant. (2)

When another boasts of this church or that teacher are we quick top draw attention to our own church or teachers? This is not to say that we should not feel free to share our church nor the goodness of the teachers God has placed in our lives, but it is because we feel ours have less attention than another? Or it is in love the desire to share what is good? For often in humble syntax are prideful intentions hidden. Yet sometimes are humble intentions hidden in prideful syntax; this is a sign not of sin, but of immaturity (for love is not rude).

Let all be done in the heart prone to glorify God. God is best glorified in knowledge according to His Word.

Let us, as His children, seek modesty in dress, in material possession, in food, in recognition for work. Let us keep our possessions and reputation and appearance as stewards and not as owners. Where God promotes His truth in us let us be thankful and glorify God all the more. Where He keeps us in obscurity let us rejoice He has kept us all to Himself and far from a place of tempting pride.

Let us daily thank God for the tasks at hand and find peace in the fulfilling each duty, no matter how simple or base as all and only for our King.

Let us sacrifice all comforts to complete what he has called us to. Let the praise of the whole world be as a pin drop when compared to the roaring of the seas when our Father smiles. Let the feelings of sensual satisfaction be as the sharpest pain in comparison to the joy of humbly serving the Almighty.

The same let us enjoy the gifts He has graced us with, not detesting them. God have us honey to point to the sweetness of His blessings. Let us not rebuke the honey, but moderately enjoy it in remembrance of His goodness.



1) Romans 12
2) I Corinthians 13