West Columbia, SC (Joey Yandle) – What is a “Glory Hound”? I believe it's defined clearly in scripture that can be found in Matthew 6: 3-4 ESV:
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. So that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
That scripture means to me that if any of us give for the glory we receive after giving, we are not giving for the right reason. This is basically telling us if you give money, deeds, or in any other way for any other reason than to spread the word and works of Jesus Christ’s love right here on earth, you are a “Glory Hound.”
Often in today's world, we see many examples of many people or even groups who become “Glory Hounds.” Another name for people who have given to glorify themselves is hypocrites. Why, you might ask, does this type of giving make me a hypocrite and how do I prevent myself from becoming one? To guard against becoming a hypocrite yourself, you must first ask, what does hypocrisy mean and what is its origin?
Vocabulary.com defines that word as follows: A hypocrite preaches one thing and does another.... The word hypocrite is rooted in the Greek word hypokrites, which means “stage actor, pretender, dissembler.” Therefore, one must think of a hypocrite as a person who pretends to be a certain way, but really acts and believes the total opposite.
So then, if you give for glory so that people can see and heap praise on you for any other reason than to show God’s goodness and mercy, you will definitely fall into the category of a hypocrite.
Let’s think back to that scripture again; Jesus did not say, " Do not do good works,” and he did not say, “Do not let your works be seen." What he said was do good works “to spread the word and works of Jesus Christ’s love right here on earth.”
While some of this may not be clear to you, let’s get to the point. Doing good in life today or doing good things is the right thing to do but doing good to be recognized is not! Why is this? Well, “Glory Hounds” or hypocrites will often turn people away from God. Being a “Glory Hound” isn’t as easy to hide as you may think, and people often see right through you. They see why you say you are giving, but the real reason is evident. You are giving to simply bring glory to yourself.
Think of it this way. If a visitor walks into your church today and notices a congregation of “Wanna be Superstars,” or people wanting to be glorified themselves, what do you honestly think would happen? How would God react? Well it’s pretty clear to me that God would not just let it slide. I believe that God has a Zero Tolerance policy for it.
Hypocrisy turns people away and certainly gives off bad vibes to a visitor. If you give for glory and become too full of yourself because of that glory, God can and often will humble you not just before him, but also before man. He can easily strip away your glory just as easily as he blessed you with the resources like the time or money to bring glory to yourself in the first place. Read Job 1:21 in the ESV. That scripture tells us, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Another way of saying that is if God can give it to you, He can certainly take it away again and we all know, God is the provider of everything.
How can we prevent this at my home church, Brookland United Methodist in West Columbia, SC, and in churches everywhere? What honestly can we do without offending people or turning them away? The overall bottom line is do not make a theater production out of your faith. When you do a good deed, buy a gift, or donate to a ministry, please do not expect credit for it. Do it in this spirit: “I gave because I felt led to by the Holy Spirit,” or more simply, “I gave because it was the right thing to do.”
There are also people that can easily fall into a pattern of faking their faith! What is faking your faith? Many could easily identify that as saying a shallow, less than heartfelt hallelujah, saying a quick, “I’ll pray for you,” and then never doing so, or even sitting in a certain seat on Sundays just to be seen would clearly represent “Faking your Faith,” I think this is also not pleasing in the eyes of the Lord either.
So, with all this said and from the studies that I have done in my bible, God makes it clear to me that he isn’t pleased with hypocrisy because it turns people away from learning his word and receiving his love. It’s clear to me if you truly love the Lord who gave his life for you, follow His example and give from your heart. Give all glory to Him, our savior Jesus Christ. Be genuine in your faith and show Christ love through your own good deeds and works. If we can all do this, the people will come!
Is this really that hard to do? No, it’s quite easy! Just give from the heart and do everything you do from the heart. In giving, in worship, and in prayer, be genuine and in the true spirit; Don't be a faker!
Here’s how we plan to please the Lord at Brookland UMC. We have our doors open to all! We plan to give generously and without seeking to glorify ourselves. Of course we turn to our local media when we do good works, but this is simply done so that more may know we are here helping and we are waiting for all who are in need of that help, a refuge, or a place of comfort.
This is a place where you can come to learn more about God and this man called Jesus that loves us so much. Yes, our God does give us second chances, do-overs, and no matter how your life has been to this point, he is waiting right here to share His love and forgiveness with you.
Next time you make a trip to West Columbia or if you are searching for a church home, we are here genuinely waiting on you! We are ready and willing to guide you on a spiritual journey; one that will last a lifetime!
Glory be to God! God Bless! And see you soon!
Joey Yandle is a member of the ministry team at Brookland United Methodist Church in West Columbia. Their address is 541 Meeting St, West Columbia, SC 29169 and they can be reached by telephone at (803) 791-1450.
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