Not to us, but to Your name be the glory

I have been confused about the debate between charismatics and conservatives. And to be honest, I still don't have a set stance. I know the Holy Spirit is alive and working and that it resides in all Christians, but at the same time, I see a lot of charismatic gifts being used for the wrong purposes. So whenever I came to read this passage, I would always start thinking about the debate between the charismatics and the conservatives.

However, today, after reading it, and truly trying to dig into it, I think we should lay aside the differences between charismatics and conservatives. The simple truth is that we are all striving to know God more, to love Him more, and to become more Christ-like.

In this chapter, I get the image of an unselfish loving Christian. Oftentimes, we may do certain things--for a direct example, speaking in tongues, but also indirect examples, such as "defending God's name by explaining our actions and pointing out other people's wrongs." in the midst of gossip (and many other possible situations)--for our own sake. Who know why we do it. Sometimes because we want to make sure we look good. Other times, we don't even necessarily want ourselves to look good, but we just want to feel good about ourselves by tricking ourselves into believing that we are spiritual. But as Christians, we are told to consider others in this passage. We are told to see what value our actions have to others. Will it help for me to speak in tongues and not have anyone else understand? Will it really help for me to explain my actions--or will it just cause more drama and gossip? We are told to love others by seeing if it helps them and not simply ourselves.

Therefore, we should not be afraid to speak in tongues, or this, or that, as long as we have the right motive--for actions to add value and not to ourselves.

Are you living with your brothers and sisters in mind? Are you living with love? Are you bringing yourself glory or are you reflecting all attention on to Him?

Created over 2 years ago