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by Bob and Debby Gass
The Ultimate Trophy (2)
March 26, 2010
‘...what is our...crown in which we will glory...?’ 1 Thessalonians 2:19 NIV
Solomon writes, ‘…riches do not endure…a crown is not secure for all generations.’ (Proverbs 27:24 NIV) When we try to impress people we think are important, we’re trophy collecting. A trophy is anything you can get others to look at that will make them say, ‘Wow.’ Every vocation has its own trophies. Some pastors have trophy churches, trophies to their ability, troughs at which the ego feeds. But the problem with feeding at a trough is, all you ever get is slop. In her book Glittering Images, Susan Howatch tells about a clergyman who devoted his life to always appearing godly, wise, loving and charismatic. Meanwhile his soul starves because no one knows him. ‘They never meet the man I keep hidden. They just meet the man on public display. I call him the glittering image because he looks so good in the mirror. But beyond him…lies the angry stranger who appears in the mirror whenever the glittering image goes absent without leave.’ His ministry was his trophy-and also his prison. But there’s another kind of trophy to collect-the right kind. And you don’t have to outdo anyone else to get one. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi telling them that his old crowns-his religious accomplishments-he now considered ‘dung’. He was collecting a new kind of crown: ‘…what is our…crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord…Is it not you?’ (1 Thessalonians 2:19 NIV) For Paul, the ultimate trophy was not his personal achievement as an author or church builder. It was the joy of winning, discipling and investing in the lives of others. Think about it!
SoulFood: Job 40-42, Matt 25:31-40, Ps 69:1-18, Pr 8:27-29
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2010
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