I put my heart to the test and imagined myself  in a busy mall where I suddenly took notice of two people I knew. One person was of lowly status whom I knew was in great need of a hug and encouragement. The other was a highly respected individual  with whom having a direct conversation might bolster my advancement in some way or another. But I wouldn’t  be able to speak to both of them. Which person would I really like to  head towards, and why?

“I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person.  For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.”  – Job 32:21-22

Robert and I have been reading Job together in the morning and today it was Elihu’s turn. You remember, he was the youngest of Job’s four counselors, the last to speak, and the only one to answer wisely. This verse jumped out at me because it revealed the evil in my own heart.

We’ve all known people who are serial flatterers and they are really obnoxious. They’re quick to drop names and generous with their praise of us, that is until they have no more use for us. But lest I fool myself into thinking I haven’t been guilty of doing the same thing, the Lord graciously reminded me of the deceitfulness of my own heart.

Flattery and the longing for the praise of others are among the more “respectable sins” that can be so subtly embedded in our hearts that the Holy Spirit has to use a crow-bar to force them out. I put my heart to the test and imagined myself  in a busy mall where I suddenly took notice of two people I knew. One person was of lowly status whom I knew was in great need of a hug and encouragement. The other was a highly respected individual with whom having a direct conversation might bolster my advancement in some way or another. But I wouldn’t be able to speak to both of them. Which person would I really like to head towards, and why?

Ahh… “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]