“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Romans 12:16
Take # 3 – God’s work doesn’t have room for ego. You need to be willing to be unseen for God’s work to shine.
The last couple of days, we have been talking about the interaction between Paul and Barnabas. Their relationship is a great model for how we are to conduct ourselves in God’s family. We can disagree strongly with each other but still keep the relationship. We need to give each other a whole bunch of grace as we trip over ourselves in life.
Take # 3 is totally opposite of what the world teaches us we should do.
The interactions between Paul and Barnabas began long before the disagreement. Barnabas appears to have been a man of some stature in the community. So much so that when he vouched for Paul (the murderer of Christians), his word was accepted – and so was Paul.
It was pointed out that, in scripture, in the beginning of the relationship, the two men were listed as “Barnabas and Paul”. By the end of Acts, the two men were listed as “Paul and Barnabas”.
What does this mean?
One speculation is that Barnabas began as the man with the most authority in the relationship (and community). By the end of Acts, a power shift had occurred and now Paul was the lead in the relationship.
Barnabas was no longer the influencer that he once had been. Now Paul was the main influencer – and Barnabas seemed to be okay with it. He was willing to fade into the background to let Paul accomplish the work God had sent him to do. No ego involved.
The challenge for you:
What part of God’s work are you involved in where your ego could get in the way of the work? Do you want the accolades for what you are doing? If you are not honored publicly for your work, does it bother you?
God wants us to serve without needing the praise of men. If we are uncomfortable being in the background as Barnabas was, maybe we are doing the work for the wrong reasons. The work we do for God should be done humbly and without the need for others noticing. Set your ego aside and just praise God with what you do behind the scenes. That will give you the biggest praise of all – from God.