He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD: and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17
With having been heavy so much of my life, my self-esteem was low. Maybe it would have still been low if I hadn't been heavy, but I'm unsure. I used to do nice things for people with the ulterior motive of getting what I call the "Good Debbie's." People would compliment me for the things I had done and it temporarily bolstered my self-esteem, or at least my self-perception.
When I was old enough to be involved in church, I tried to do the same thing. I was a Brownie Point Christian volunteering for every committee I possibly could, trying to do things to win the admiration of others and God. The thing is, the admiration of others doesn't really matter in the scheme of things. It only matters what God thinks of me and what I think of myself.
I had to change my perspective to make sure I'm doing things for the less fortunate, because that's what God would want. Today I pondered whether I am I doing the nice things for the less fortunate to get Brownie Points from God? I'm hoping that's not the case, but being a very faulty human being, I may get caught up in still having ulterior motives, just more subtle. I have to be prayerful that my motives are truly genuine and not for any type of recognition. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD: and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17
Since this is an example of the positive influence God has made on my walk with Christ, this may not reflect the whole meaning of the Bible verses.
