Promotion

  Do not put yourself  forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, "Come up  here," than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverbs 25:6-7a ESV  

 Infamously, last time the US President was visiting the  Queen, he walked on ahead of her. He had to draw himself back to respect protocol with one of the  world's most respected heads of state. Solomon's on about that kind of thing here. 

We might all be  guilty of self promotion. After all, if we don't put ourselves forward, who else is going to do it?  But it's better to be headhunted for a job than to have to apply and sell ourselves for it. 

It's  inadvisable, foolish in fact, to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. If we set ourselves  up, we're only setting ourselves up for a fall. Authorities don't think well of people who try to ride  their coat tails to glory. 

Instead, we should think of ourselves with sober judgement, and think of  others more highly than ourselves. That way, our recognition isn't just self promotion but comes  from those in authority over us. I'm sure it's much more satisfying getting uninvited recognition  from authority than trying to invite it.

 "Almighty Father God, how we praise You for adopting us  out of love, not out of any goodness in us. Don't let us be self promoting, but may we get the  recognition we deserve. In the name of Jesus, amen" 

(From the archives)