It is truly interesting how we as people can seek glory for ourselves in the name of serving our God. The allure of being the center of attention can be addictive. The Pharisees that argued with Jesus had fallen into that kind of trap. Being seen as important was more important to them than being seen serving God.
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.
John 8: 50-51
Even Jesus, the one who deserves glory more than any other human being, does not seek it. There is no room in his heart for the desire of glory because He exists solely to serve his Father in heaven.
Q: Do you see the difference between seeking glory and seeking to serve God? How would you describe what that feels like?
Yes, much of it can be an internal heart issue which is tricky. One of the biggest feeling differences for me between the two is fearing the Lord rather than fearing people. Serving for God’s glory lessons the need to have peoples approval yet intensifies the feeling of responsibility as one serves. So it both relieves an unhealthy/sinful stress and adds a feeling of commitment to God’s purpose. I’m not sure how well this describes it.
This is such an important question that can be both easy and difficult to recognize in ourselves.