Seeking Honor for Yourself
Proverbs 25:27 (NLT) “It’s not good to eat too much honey, and it’s not good to seek honors for yourself.”
Have you ever met a person who only talks about their accomplishments, their awards, their position at work, the number of people who report to them, or the next big job they are working on? Or the long list of name-dropping about all the important people they know, steering the conversation toward how they complimented themselves? One behavior drives a person to seek only awards for themselves, think only about themselves, and never celebrate another person’s accolades. It is called Pride.
God doesn’t want anyone to develop a character that only seeks self-indulgence. It is the opposite of God’s nature. Consider this: The Bible says that God is Love. Love is an emotion and an action that radiates outward. Love is an action you do for others. If you were to ask, “What is the opposite of Love?” Most would say Hate. Technically, Hate is another emotion and action that radiates outward toward others. The opposite of Love is Selfishness. Selfishness turns everything inward. Your actions are not for others; they are only for yourself. Whatever action you are doing, it is only for yourself. And that behavior is the opposite of Love, which is the opposite of God’s nature. It was Lucifer’s pride and desire to be higher than God that got him kicked out of Heaven.
When Jesus walked on this earth, He never boasted about who He was. Many times, Jesus healed people, and then He told them not to tell anyone. Jesus was God in the flesh, walking among others, but He didn’t brag about it. He made Himself no reputation. (Philippians 2:7) Jesus humbled Himself like a lamb, to the point of His death on the cross.
When I was a senior in high school, they offered Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The AP classes were college-level and added points to your GPA. A certain group of students had a GPA above 4.0. Yes, their GPAs were 4.1, 4.15, etc. As graduation neared, I heard most of them talking only about who had the highest GPA so that person could be named Valedictorian. Can you imagine not being happy with a 4.0 GPA because someone else has a 4.1? They’ll receive scholarships from practically any college, but they can’t enjoy their GPA because another classmate has 0.1 GPA points higher.
Everyone wants to get ahead in life, on the job, get recognized for the work you do, get promoted, and get paid more. Yes, we all want that. But that should not be the only thing you seek. Selfish desires are the opposite of the character God wants for your life. The only cure is to humble yourself before God and desire what He desires.
Be Blessed!
Ron
Ron Cobbs Ministries © Copyright September 25th, 2026, All Rights Reserved
