God’s Brand or Your Brand?
“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” - 1 Peter 5:6
There is a scene in Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” where Dmitri is sentenced to imprisonment in Serbia. While asleep, he realizes that an unknown person has placed a pillow beneath his head. He has no idea who put the pillow there, but he is grateful.
From that one act, he deduces that there is still some good in life. There are still good people in the world thanks to the nameless, selfless act of someone who doesn’t need to brag or be seen putting a pillow under the head of a weary man.
In our celebrity-crazed society where everyone from the preteen on TikTok to the public speaker with a cell phone is looking for significance through clicks and likes on social media, we need more Christians who will sacrifice being known for being effective.
In fact, some people will turn down an opportunity if they can’t be “on stage” or “in the limelight.” The obsession with self-promotion has even crept into the church, where many have taken the morality of the market and the desire to elevate the ego to be the ultimate goal of ministry. We are more interested in self-branding and self-promotion than we are in promoting Christ and the cross.
Do you struggle with self-promotion? Are you living a life that is promoting God’s brand or your brand? It is easy to let the ego take over. But that is not the mission God wants you to pursue. When you promote His brand, you will be rewarded at both the right time and in the right fashion!
Trust that He will take care of the recognition aspect and seek to promote His brand first!
There is a scene in Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” where Dmitri is sentenced to imprisonment in Serbia. While asleep, he realizes that an unknown person has placed a pillow beneath his head. He has no idea who put the pillow there, but he is grateful.
From that one act, he deduces that there is still some good in life. There are still good people in the world thanks to the nameless, selfless act of someone who doesn’t need to brag or be seen putting a pillow under the head of a weary man.
In our celebrity-crazed society where everyone from the preteen on TikTok to the public speaker with a cell phone is looking for significance through clicks and likes on social media, we need more Christians who will sacrifice being known for being effective.
In fact, some people will turn down an opportunity if they can’t be “on stage” or “in the limelight.” The obsession with self-promotion has even crept into the church, where many have taken the morality of the market and the desire to elevate the ego to be the ultimate goal of ministry. We are more interested in self-branding and self-promotion than we are in promoting Christ and the cross.
Do you struggle with self-promotion? Are you living a life that is promoting God’s brand or your brand? It is easy to let the ego take over. But that is not the mission God wants you to pursue. When you promote His brand, you will be rewarded at both the right time and in the right fashion!
Trust that He will take care of the recognition aspect and seek to promote His brand first!
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