…do all for the honor and glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Would you consider yourself a driven person? If so, what drives you to succeed in what you do? Many would cite the reason, “To be the best I can be.” Although that’s a noble reason, an important follow-up question to ask is, “Why do you want to be the best you can be?”

Many people pause at this follow-up question because they have never considered it. Taught by culture that being the “best” is an end unto itself, they’ve never contemplated the motivation behind their pursuit of “bestness.” Upon reflection, it becomes apparent that most people’s reasons for “being best” boil down to one, or both, of the following:

1. So I can be praised by others for being the best
2. So I can make a lot of money

For Christians, these motives miss the mark. As 1 Corinthians 10:31 teaches, we are to be our best not to glorify self but to glorify God. What things glorify God? Those things we do in love for God and in love for others. As Christ reminded us in Matthew 22:35-40 and Mark 12:28-34, all of the law and prophets – meaning that all of the actions we can take to be holy, moral, prosperous, and at peace – rest on the motivations of:

1. Loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and
2. Loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

God may bless us with fame and riches by loving Him first and others second, or, He may not. If He chooses to do so, there will be one huge difference between the earthly treasures we earn by glorifying God and any we could earn by glorifying self. When glorifying God is our motivation to be our best, our riches on Earth will be replaced with treasures in Heaven. When self-interest is our motivation to be our best, we will still be saved, but we will suffer great disappointment when we find that all of our earthly efforts were deemed to be wood, hay, and stubble by the God who looks at the heart, not just the outward appearance.

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