When Christians are activated by unChristian motives in what they do for the Church, sooner or later they will give themselves away by taking offence; whereas humble disciples do not bother about whether their services become known or if they remain unknown.  In fact, they prefer the latter and, as far as they can, they see to it that their left hand does not know what their right hand is doing.

If we serve God in order to attract notice to ourselves and to receive the thanks and commendation of others, and to enjoy the warm glow of self-esteem, then we are just getting in God’s way.  On the other hand if we love God for his own sake and serve him for himself alone, without the conflict of unworthy motives, then he is free to work in us effectively and in his own way.

And we do not have to be important people for him to do that.  As St Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful…But…God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (NRSV, 1 Corinthians 1:26, 27,29).

And St Paul ends by saying that God “is the source of your life in Christ Jesus”, therefore ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (NRSV, 1 Corinthians 1:30,31).

For in the end the most important thing about disciples – indeed the only important thing – is that they are true friends of Our Blessed Lord.

Reference

1. Phillips, J.B. (1960) The New Testament in modern English, London: Geoffrey Bles.