In today's commercialized Christian landscape of mega-churches, suited-up preachers, trendy pastors and multi-million dollar church buildings, it's hard to be celebrity-syndrome-free.
A fine line separates the act of honouring your leaders and exalting and celebrity-fying them. Many mega-churches are treading precariously on this ledge.
This article reminded me powerfully of three things through these Bible verses:
1) ALL promotion / status / fame / positions comes from God.
"...Exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another"
Psalm 75:6-7
Where you are right now, in whatever position of leadership and influence, is exactly where God wants you to be. It's not entirely because you worked hard to earn it, but it's because God granted those opportunities to you.
The mouth you were given to talk your way through that interview to land you that job, the mind He gave you to score well in your exams in university to land you a job offer, the opportunity He placed before you when He decided that you be born in a first-world nation and not in a third-world country...
All things come from God. All promotion too. As you grow and are faithful, God will give you the increase.
"...Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise; And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him."
Daniel 2:20-22
"He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings." What else is there for us to say? God is in control of the times and He determines the seasons. He is God, He is in control.
3) We own NOTHING in this life.
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Job 1:21
Empty handed we entered this world and empty handed we will be when we return. By empty handed, I am referring to our material possessions.
Once we remember these 3 truths, we will live our lives more humbly, knowing that all we have is all given to us - we don't own it.
We are but stewards - temporarily in possession of someone else's property, tasked to take care of it. The owner will one day return to take all these back from us and we will give an account as to how we've taken care of His property.
These 3 truths will naturally make us immune from the celebrity syndrome because we will know that there is only 1 eternal celebrity - Jesus Christ.
Let me end with this powerful song by The Afters, "This Life". Let the lyrics sink in as we understand that "We can't own it, we just get to hold it for a while - this life"
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