SERVANT LEADERSHIP - The Blue Letter Bible Institute

Servant Leadership – Lesson 31 2
Keep a Pure Heart by Chuck Smith
discernment to just let God move. They have to somehow insert and interject themselves upon the
scene.
Now the Scripture does not really specify what the strange fire was, so it gives us an opportunity
of exposition. The fact that Moses explained that this was what God was talking about when He
said, “I will be glorified,” would seem to indicate that somehow Nadab and Abihu were trying to
catch some of the glory. “Hey man, I am pretty important here. Look at me! I have my golden
incense. Look, I am offering it before God. You see, I am trying to get on the scene. God is
moving I want to get in. I want people to see me. I am important around here. I am a priest. I am
in this thing, too, folks. See, what I am doing.”
But God will not share His glory with man. And God has no intention or desire to bring glory to
your name. One important thing in the ministry is that we must minister in such a way that when
men see the good works, they will glorify your Father which is in heaven (cf. Matthew 5:16). We
let our lights so shine before men. Now it is possible to let your light so shine before men that
when they see your good works, they go around saying what a wonderful person you are. Your
light is shining the wrong way. Let your light so shine that it brings glory to God and not unto
man.
There is an evil about our flesh. I have come to hate my flesh. But there is this crazy mix of
emotions because I love it too. It is a love/hate relationship. Even when I am engaged in some of
the most spiritual activities, my flesh can get in the way. My flesh wants recognition. My flesh
wants a little glory and a little attention. I want people to think that I am a deeply spiritual person.
I want the people in the church to think that I am really a spiritual giant. I want them to admire
my walk with God. And because of that horrible desire of my flesh, there are times when I sort of
let it slip that when I was in prayer this morning, waiting upon God, the Lord came into the room
and spoke to my heart. And the people think, “Oh, he was up in the morning praying. Isn’t that
beautiful? My, that is powerful. God bless him! Oh, I wish I were spiritual like that.”
Jesus said,
Take heed to yourself that you do not your righteousness before
men to be seen of men. For verily I say unto you, ye have your
reward. (cf. Matthew 6:1)
Then Jesus talked about how you prayed, and how you gave, and how you mortified the flesh.
And there are two ways to do it. There is a way to do it by which you draw attention to yourself,
and people know how deeply committed you are to God. And there is another way to do it by
which God knows how deeply you are committed to Him. But if you are doing it in such a way
that people might know of your deep commitment, then God does not seem to know of it. I am
doing my works either before man, to be seen of man and to receive the glory and the credit from
man; or I am doing it before the Lord, as unto the Lord, to receive the glory from Him.
It is not enough that I am just serving God. God is interested in how I am serving Him and why I
am serving Him. God is looking at my heart. God is looking at the motivation. And when God
looks at my works, He is not just looking at what I am doing; He is looking at what motivated me
to do it. Did I do this because I felt it would bring a lot of attention to my ministry? The reporters
might come out and find out what is going on out here. Maybe my motivation was for some fame
and some notoriety. What was the true motive? Why did I really do it? That is the thing that God
examines. I will be honest with you, I do not always know what my true motivation is, and many
times God nails me. After I have done something and I think, “Well, that was all right, wasn’t