I had a dream that I was being honored for something. I felt awkward about receiving it and refused to accept it. Suddenly, I remember something I heard Bill Johnson say.  When you receive praise for something you did, thank the person and later on, in your quiet time, give it to God. Then I understood that by receiving the praise of men in humility, I had a gift to offer the Lord that I otherwise would not have to give Him.

We are easily swayed by pride and false humility. Pride accepts the praise of man eagerly and wants more. We want to keep it for ourselves. It builds up our self esteem. If our ego is not fed, then no one must love us and we feel terrible.

False humility rejects the talent and gifts that God gave us. We think that we’re not supposed to accept praise because of what we do ourselves. We say, it wasn’t me, it was God. But it was our own effort, and by not receiving the praise, we have nothing to offer the Lord later. The precious jewels are cast to the ground, squandered as worthless.

Allow the Holy Spirit to develop your sense of worth and thankfulness. Holding onto praise is as bad as refusing to accept it. Be thankful, then offer it up as a sweet smelling incense before the Lord.