Proverbs 25:27 “It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.” Perhaps we should have studied our proverb before Thanksgiving dinner, not two weeks after. Or, for the optimist, I’m not late, but 50 weeks early for next year. I love Thanksgiving food and all the desserts. But we couldn’t have a Thanksgiving feast every day of the year; it’s too much of a good thing. Solomon didn’t have pecan pie, but his dessert was honey, God’s natural sugary sweet. Even though honey is delicious and one spoonful is good, it may seem to make sense to say a second would better, it’s not good to eat too much. You may feel good while you eat it, but eat too much and you’ll regret it and make yourself sick. You may enjoy it while you are eating it, but it’s not good for your health to tear into a honeycomb like a hungry bear and devour a few quarts a day because you’ll soon outweigh the bear.
When someone thanks you or praises you for a job well done, it feels good and it’s encouraging and satisfying to be appreciated. But like overeating sweets, seeking the praise of men is not good for you. It’s a danger to your soul. When you live for your own glory you are not seeking God’s glory. You’ve turned yourself into an idol. The glory you get for yourself when you go looking for it is not glory at all.
Seeking your own glory is not good because you begin to live in the fear of man, not the fear of God. Fearing man is not being afraid of man anymore than fearing God is being afraid of God. Fearing man reverences and honors the opinions of people and lives for their approval. You regulate your life according to what others think, not what God thinks. Several priests believed in Jesus but wouldn’t confess him openly because they loved the praise of men. They did not do the right thing and knowingly did the wrong thing because they loved and sought their own glory (John 12:42-43 ).
If you want to boast and glory, glory in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). Like the taste buds were made to taste, man is made to have something to glory in. The problem is not glorying or even boasting but the object of our worship. Seeking the praise of men for yourself is not good for the soul, even if it feels good at the time. Focus your praise on the Lord Jesus and glory in him. Seek out his greatness. Track out his perfections and praise them. Boast in what Christ has done in saving you from sin. Glory in what Christ is doing as your High Priest. Exult in what Christ will do when He comes again. And unlike honey and pecan pie, you can eat as much of the glory of God as you desire.
