To Us Be The Glory: How To Respond to the Temptation of Fame
VAIN GLORY
Pro sports, Hollywood, New York, Silver screens. The promise of glory and fame permeates the imaginations of people the world over. From social media influencers to Broadway performers, everyone is looking for glory. In our modern society, more than ever, the path to glory is readily available for all who wish to pursue it. Women find glory in stripping themselves of modesty on social media. Men find glory in the cutthroat selfishness of corporate America. Anywhere and everywhere, glory can be attained by those willing to sacrifice their moral qualms to lay hold of it.
As Christians, we know instinctively that this vain pursuit of glory is to be rejected. The proverbs testify as much, “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.” (Proverbs 25:27). There is nothing glorious about the pursuit of self-exalting, worldly glory. But sometimes, in our rejection of this cultural vanity, we can chuck the baby out with the bath water. In short, what if I told you that the pursuit of glory isn’t, in itself, a bad thing?
GOOD GLORY?
As a matter of fact, scripture plainly teaches that we should pursue some kind of glory for ourselves. “For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:43). Paul goes so far as to encourage us to seek this glory, “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Romans 2:6-7). Now this glory is not bestowed by man, but is a gift of God given at His discretion. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).
So there is a glory that is good to pursue, a glory that is so valuable that it is even worth suffering for (2 Corinthians 4:17). This glory is eternally valuable, and is tied in some mysterious way to God’s own glory (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). Out of God’s glory, we get glory, and in our glory God gets more glory.
This kind of seemingly contradicting conundrum can easily get our brains all out of whack, so let’s establish some categories to help us interpret all the glory-getting. There are two types of glory available to human beings: holy glory and unholy glory. And to see these two categories at play, we must bring ourselves to the life of Christ Himself, at the moment of His temptation in the wilderness.
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” Luke 4:5-7 (ESV)
In this passage, we get a picture of one of the key temptations that Satan brings forth, one that he still uses to this day. Satan offers Jesus everything, and in offering Him everything, he is offering Him glory. All the power, all the control, all the glory. This leads us to ask ourselves, how is this tempting to Jesus? I mean, isn’t he God? Doesn’t he have all the glory? Isn’t he already the most glorious and radiant and powerful being in the universe? How could Satan have missed the mark so badly by offering Jesus something that he already has?
Or does He already have it? Scripture records that when Jesus came to the earth he “emptied himself” of some of his divine power (Philippians 2:7). Meaning, that while he was on this earth, Jesus left behind his glory. He was born to a poor teenage mother in a blue collar town, adopted by an uneducated tradesmen, and lived as a second class citizen of the Roman Empire. The Son of God had given up His glory, and in the temptation of Christ, Satan was offering to give it all back.
The trade off is simple, Satan tells Jesus “If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Satan is offering Jesus a path to glory that is quick, immediate, and painless. Bow down, he says, and this will all be yours. This is the essence of unholy glory. By contrast, what is the plan of the Father in restoring Jesus to His former glory? It is by no means quick, immediate, or painless. Jesus knew that the road before Him was long, difficult, and painful. He would have to humble Himself even further than he already had by suffering the full wrath of God and man. Jesus’ path to glory was weaved through suffering, not around it.
This is the key distinction between holy and unholy glory. Holy glory is bestowed by God upon those who walk in humility, obedience, and sacrifice. Unholy glory is attained apart from God, without any virtuous sacrifice or action to earn it.
Holy glory is to be enjoyed by saints forever in God’s kingdom. It is the king bestowing honor upon His subjects as He wills. This glory far and away outshines the temporary glories of social media, Hollywood, business success, or financial gain. This glory is eternally received and eternally satisfying, flowing from the fountain of all glory Himself.
Satan seeks for us to forsake this holy glory for a cheap and easy imitation, but to those who submit to the pattern of Christ Himself, a greater reward awaits. But this glorious reward does not come the way the world teaches. It cannot be attained through cunning work, superior looks, or ruthless ambition. Glory may come from these means, but it is a flimsy and fading glory. The glory worth pursuing is attained only through service and self sacrifice.
Only those who lay down their lives will be lifted up and honored by the creator. Only those who wash feet will themselves be washed. Only those who place others first will find themselves first in the kingdom. Jesus offers us, in His earthly life, the perfect picture of holy glory and the path we must take to find it.
LIVING FOR GREATER GLORY
In our everyday lives, we are tempted to grasp glory for ourselves. To pursue praise for a job well done. To seek recognition from others for the car that we drive or the clothes that we wear. Deep down, a part of each of us desires to be praised and lifted high. To rule and to reign. To be glorified by man.
In resisting this alluring desire, we must remind ourselves of the lies of unholy glory. The same lies that Satan spun at the temptation of Christ. “This fame will satisfy you, this recognition will complete you, this glory will sustain you.” These lies lead us headlong into a temporary satisfaction that will fade into a deep despair. When the money is gone, the attention dries up, and the followers move onto the next big thing; you will only be left with a deep emptiness.
In the midst of this temptation, it is important that we remember the far greater glory that awaits the lowly and humble. The key to fighting this temptation is not to deny our desire for glory, but to redirect it to its proper place. Our goal is to pursue the glory of God, in obedience to the commandments of God, in submission to the Son of God, by the power of the Spirit of God. When we do that, we can trust that a greater, more satisfying, more glorious glory awaits us. A glory worth giving everything up to attain. A glory that brings more glory to the God who bestows it.
In the words of our humble savior turned heavenly King “So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16). Seek to be least of all, and trust God with the eternal reward.
