Are you holding back your gifts and talents because you are afraid of how others may perceive you? So that you won’t come across as a know-it-all, do you withhold truths? Do you purposely not do your best so that you won’t upstage another person?
All who profess to be Christians have God’s glory within him. Evidence of man receiving the gift of God’s glory is found in Jesus’ prayer in the Garden at Gethsemane. In the Bible, John 17 contains the following verses:
10-And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
22-And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.
Jesus says the glory of God is within us. That’s powerful. How powerful is this Glory of God? The woman with the issue of blood reached out to touch Jesus. She did not touch Jesus’ flesh, but she touched something that was touching Him. Because she touched that which was touching him, Jesus felt that virtue or power had gone out of him. In other words she had drained Him. The woman had pulled from Jesus’ glory!
As believers, we have that same glory of God within us that was in Jesus. POWERFUL! Have you ever ministered and you felt drained? That’s because people were being blessed by the glory of God within you. They tapped into your glory!
Marrianne Williamson made a very profound statement:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
We as Christians must stop portraying “false humility”. You know—when they get up to sing and state – “pray for me, my voice isn’t all that good” —and then they sing better than Patti Labelle. Or musicians declare, “I don’t play that well”—knowing they are skillful in their craft! Having false humility does not allow the Glory of God to be manifested in you. Actually it’s lying! You can be honest and humble.
When you let your light shine before men, without holding back, men will see your good works. And because you demonstrate the glory of God within you, others in turn will glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Don’t dim your light, let it shine bright.
Roline Thomas
