Christians should be well spoken of and should "have a good report of them which are without." I Tim. 3:7. Of one of Paul's associates we read: "Demetrius hath good report of all men." 3 John 12. This should be said of every follower of Christ. Then why is the warning given, "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you"? The woe pronounced applies to those whose aim is to maintain the reputation which they may have rightly merited. After gaining the reputation of being outstanding in his profession, a man's danger exists in endeavoring to maintain it. Some of the most successful evangelists and physicians have made shipwreck of faith in this way. In a letter I received from Sister White, in the year 1903, she said :
"Oh, how many have fallen because they trusted in their profession for salvation. How many are lost by their effort to keep up a name. If one has the reputation of being a successful evangelist, a gifted preacher, a man of prayer, a man of faith, a man of special devotion, there is positive danger that he will make shipwreck of faith when tried by the little tests that God suffers to come. Often his great effort will be to maintain his reputation. He who lives in the fear that others do not appreciate his value, is losing sight of Him who alone makes us worthy of glorifying God. Let us be faithful stewards over ourselves. Let us look away from self to Christ. Then there will be no trouble at all. All the work done, however excellent it may appear to be, is worthless if not done in the love of Jesus. One may go through the whole round of religious activity, and yet, unless Christ is woven into all that he says and does, he will work for his own glory."—Ellen G. White Letter 48, .1903.
Bible Does Not Praise Men
And we read this timely admonition in "Patriarchs and Prophets :"
"The Bible has little to say in praise of men. Little space is given to recounting the virtues of even the best men who have ever lived. This silence is not without purpose; it is not without a lesson. All the good qualities that men possess are the gift of God ; their good deeds are performed by the grace of God through Christ. Since they owe all to God, the glory of whatever they are or do belongs to Him alone • they are but instruments in His hands. More than this—as all the lessons of Bible history teach—it is a perilous thing to praise or exalt men; for if one comes to lose sight of his entire dependence on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall. Man is contending with foes who are stronger than he. . . . It is impossible for us, in our own strength, to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow. The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power, and to encourage trust in divine power."— Page 717.
The danger of praising human beings to their own hurt is further dwelt upon in "Testimonies," Volume I, where a warning is given that applies to men in any profession. We read:
"Ever since the fall of Satan, who was once an exalted angel in glory, ministers have fallen through exaltation. Unwise Sabbathkeepers have pleased the devil well by praising their ministers. Were they aware that they were aiding Satan in his work ? They would have been alarmed had they realized what they were doing. They were blinded, they were not standing in the counsel of God. I lift my voice of warning against praising or flattering ministers. I have seen the evil, the dreadful evil, of this. Never, never speak a word in praise of ministers to their faces. Exalt God. Ever respect the faithful minister ; realize his burdens, and lighten them if you can, but do not flatter him ; for Satan stands ready at his watchtower to do that kind of work himself."--Page 474.
It seems natural for men to worship the material and the visible, instead of the One who is invisible. Peter was selected by Christ to convey a most important message to Cornelius, a man whose prayers and alms had come up as a memorial before God. "Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up ; I myself also am a man." Acts 10:25, 26. When an angel was commissioned to convey an important message to John on the Isle of Patmos, John said: "I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God." Rev. to:to. The rich young ruler came to Christ saying: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" To him Jesus said: "Why call-est thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." Again we read:
"Teachers . . . receive their words from God. . . . The power is not of man, but of God. The Giver should have the glory and the heart's affections, while the minister should be esteemed, loved, and respected for his work's sake, because he is God's servant to bear the message of mercy to sinners. The Son of God is often eclipsed by the man standing between Him and the people. The man is praised, petted, and exalted, and the people scarcely get a glimpse of Jesus."—Id., Vol. IV, p. 318.
We must not conclude from this that we should not recognize faithfulness in workers and speak words of approval to one another. We should often commend and encourage those who in the spirit of the Master are carrying forward their work. In the work that we are doing, whether as ministers, physicians, nurses, or Bible workers, we need encouragement. We need the assurance that we have the constant support and prayers of our people. Such encouragement should not be reserved until after faithful workers have been laid in the grave. We read in "Testimonies," Volume V:
"How many loving words are spoken of the dead ! How many good things in their life are brought to mind ! Praise and commendation are now freely expressed ; but they fall upon ears that hear not, hearts that feel not. Had these words been spoken when the weary spirit needed them so much, when the ear could hear and the heart could feel, what a pleasant picture would have been left in the memory!"—Page 490.
Our chief aim in life should be to "show forth the virtues [margin] of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." It is possible to so fully reveal Him that men in beholding us will see no man save Jesus only. We must exercise great care not to unduly exalt or praise those whom God is using to do a good and great work, remembering the frailties of human nature and the tendencies of the human heart toward self-exaltation
