Learning to Live without Vainglory
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Vainglory: "extreme self-pride and boastfulness; excessive and ostentatious vanity" (Webster's New World Dictionary).
The word "vainglory" is not often used in popular speech today, but it's a perfect way to describe one of the biggest false narratives of the world -- my value is determined by your assessment. The world's way of thinking says "do great things and your value increases; fail and your value decreases".
So, too often, people fall into the trap of letting our self-pride rule our lives.
Jesus' narrative says that we should "live with true humility". Humility is the opposite of vainglory, and He shows us how he wants us to live in Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18:
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Jesus was and is the prime example of humility. Living in God's kingdom means not living for your own glory, but living for an audience of one - God.