They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. - Matthew 23:5-7
Why Do You Do What You Do?
Are you recognition driven? If you are that is fine. Most people enjoy being recognized for their accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with it. The problem is when we begin to believe our own positive press. When our sufficiency is found in what we can do instead of what God has done.
This is from the book Future Grace by John Piper.
This empty craving for the praise of others signals the failure of pride and the absence of faith in God’s ongoing grace. Jesus saw the terrible effect of this itch for human glory. He named it in John 5:44, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” The answer is, you can’t. Itching for glory from other people makes faith impossible. Why?
Because faith is being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus. And if you are bent on getting the satisfaction of your itch from the scratch of others’ acclaim, you will turn away from Jesus.
But if you would turn from self as the source of satisfaction (repentance), and come to Jesus for the enjoyment of all that God is for us in him (faith), then the itch would be replaced by a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:14).
Find Your Joy in Jesus and Enjoy God As He Is.