Famous Me

♥ Ah, to be well known! ♥

LOVED by all.
MONEY spilling out your ears.
POPULARITY rules!
FAME . . . .for a brief season, and then “the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Eccl 12:7  [I know, such a killjoy.]

GLORY SEEKER. While I’ve spent much time around glory seekers, I’ve never enjoyed the spotlight (a typical author.). Yet I have experienced various seasons of being in the small spotlight—performing on stage (musically), speaking to various groups, and training leaders. I learned to walk gracefully, perfect my curtsey, and speak with political correctness.

WORLDLY productions don’t bother me until they cross my Heavenly values.

Thankfully, God’s not stumped or hindered by any production. He’ll use anybody and any circumstance to shape character, kill biases, expose arrogance, push you to your knees in desperate prayer, and teach you to love people you’ve deemed unloveable.

POPULARITY.
Entertainment has an important place in society. Nothing wrong with wanting to be a Hollywood film star—some people thrive on high stress, pressure to be what they’re not, and a lack of privacy. (I’ll stick to enjoying the entertainment from afar.)
BE A PRINCESS Diana, or a QB Joe Montana. Write a NY Best Seller or sing your ABCs like The Jackson 5 (That song going through my head makes me wanna dance. ABC).

MAKE IT HAPPEN!
To what extent are we willing to go to make our own fame happen, and what is the end reward? A trophy? A plaque? Promotion? Might a city name a street after us. Or, like Columbus, nail a particular day to your name—August 1st: John Smith Day.
NOT MOCKING. I don’t mean to make fun, and I do have honorable friends who live in the spotlight and do so gracefully.

MEANINGFUL FAME — This, I want!
A half century of experience on earth has left me seeking popularity in one place, and one place only.

But NOT just for the obvious reason.

Heaven

WHILE living on earth, I long to be popular in Heaven. Numbered from least to greatest, here’s why:

#4 MONEY, given in secret.
“Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will REWARD you.” Matthew 6:3-4

#3 GOOD DEEDS, done secretly.
“Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the REWARD from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1

#2 PRAYER, when no one is watching.
“When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will REWARD you.” Matthew 6:6

DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . .

#1 AUTHORITY. What makes the difference is who knows me.
“I (Jesus) say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:8-9

Jesus did NOT only say: I’ll confess your name before God; He included the ANGELS.

WHY is this significant?

“ARE NOT the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?” Hebrews 11:14
I am one of  “those.” Do the angels know me?

“FOR HE will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.” Psalm 91:11
I am  “you.” Do the angels know me?

HORROR STORY
“A group of Jews traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!’ Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. … the evil spirit replied, ‘I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.” Acts 19:11-17

OUTNUMBERED 7 – 1, and the demoniac still won. Apparently, the seven were not famous in Heaven (they had no spiritual authority on earth.).

MIXED UP PRIORITIES? Would the priest’s 7 sons have successfully freed the demoniac if they’d publicly acknowledged Jesus as Lord and He had acknowledged them before the angels of God?

I know where I choose to be famous.

♥

How about you?
Would you sacrifice earthly kudos
to be known in Heaven?

The Fame of the Embattled Spirit

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(btw- this isn’t the same as Angel worship (sin) Colossians/Revelation )