“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” (Psalm 40:16)
We are kept from the pride of life when we don’t have anything to prove to anyone. We are not compelled to say or do anything to gain the approval or recognition of men. When we are moved to act, it is by God’s stirring – whether people like or don’t like it is inconsequential.
God weans us from our pomposity through all manner of despising and rejection. Who are we really? We are nothing apart from the working of God in our life. We have nothing to boast of or glory in except God Himself. So what then if people dismiss us as a nobody? Should we become indignant? Should we go on the counterattack? God forbid. To take such patiently, without retaliation, is to wear a greater glory than we could ever possess in ourselves. This is the glory of Christ, who was deserving of all praise and honor, and was treated like a worm.
The devil is always giving us opportunities to rise and shine and show the world who we are. He wants us to be great in our own sight and to the eyes of others. We need to pass on the opportunities he presents us with. But God also has opportunities for us to shine for Him, with a beauty and a glory that was first found in His beloved Son. These opportunities are not found in great displays of anointed power; they are best found in a scornful crown of thorns; undeserved stripes; and a cross designed for the accursed.
Man wants to be seen, known, and recognized for who he is. But our glory does not matter to God. What matters to Him is that we glorify Him. Show the world Jesus. Shine with the Son.