Don’t Toot Your Own Horn!

Reading Philippians 2 brought back to mind this admonition I’ve heard since I was a child. It’s a colloquial Americanism meaning: don’t go around bragging about yourself.

Philippians 2:5-7 (MSG): “Think of yourself the way Jesus Christ thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status, no matter what….

“JESUS MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION.” Oh, He had a reputation, alright…with His savvy followers, an honored one, but with the proud….well, you know what the status-driven guys said about Him. Yet, that passage continues: “HE HUMBLED HIMSELF… ” (KJV): (Esther: His “self”)

In the early days of the Worldwide Prayer Movement, some intercessors, like myself, were suddenly thrust out from under the radar and found themselves quite highly profiled in the movement. Believe me, it was dizzying for me at first. But, thankfully, that childhood admonition saved me (has to this day) from any possible, prideful pitfall. To underscore that thought, Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt.23:12)

In my words: “God toots the horn of the humble.”

 About my husband, Bill, I’ve often remarked, “He never toots his own horn, so I do it for him.” Or, better yet, I relish those occasions when God does it through those he has faithfully served and mentored. Typically, after such times, Bill simply goes on doing what he is called to do, sans fanfare.

 This from the MSG adds another dimension that bottom-lines it for me: “Don’t push your way to the front…don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.” Alas, a rare human quality!

Of course, the grand finale of the story is this: God ‘toots His Son’s horn’ as recorded in this chapter: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him a name that is above every name!” (Phil. 2:9)

So, live by THE BOOK: If you want/need your horn tooted, let God do it…

…for such a (selah) time as this,

Esther