A faith that is firm

In preparing for an upcoming message, I recently stumbled across this quote:
"A faith that is firm does not fear to live in such a way that only God can be given the glory."
A profound quote in a world increasingly concerned with self-promotion. Sadly enough, even in my brief time in the ministry, I have encountered other ministry leaders who view their job as more of a competition than a humble answer to God's call. Essentially, this quote is saying that we are to live in such a way that whatever glory we do attract is immediately given to God. In ministry, this means that we are not there to grow our numbers at the cost of commitment to the Word of God. It means that we are not using the pulpit, or in my case music stand, as a platform to show-off our knowledge or draw attention to ourselves. This need for recognition is nothing more than an expose into our desperate insecurity in our relationship with Christ. We are not here doing this work for the praise of man. If we were, men like the apostle Paul would have given up at the first hint of opposition. I will be the first to admit that it is nice to be appreciated every once in a while. But if we are constantly seeking that reaffirmation from man, we are looking for our solace in the wrong place.
Our lives should not be driven by an insatiable desire to have our egos petted by others, but we should live as those driven only by the idea that what we are doing for the kingdom of God is bringing glory to Him, and Him alone. This is the difference between living a life out of the fear of man, and living a life spurred on by the awesome fear of our God.