Is it Wrong to Feel Good About Doing Good?

Dear Friends,
Is it wrong to feel good about doing good? This may seem like a silly question, but it can be a real conundrum for Christians who are concerned about becoming prideful.
No wonder. The word “pride” appears in 63 verses in the New International Version of the Bible, most with a negative connotation. Here are just a few:

In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Psalm 10:4

Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. Psalm 31:18

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverb 16:18

When we get to the book of Romans, we find the apostle Paul writing, “I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.”
Romans 11:13-14

Notice that Paul took pride in his ministry.

So where can satisfaction with a job well done slip over into the destructive pride Scriptures warn against? A clue can be found in a definition found in Merriam Webster Dictionary: “PRIDE: the quality or state of being proud: such as inordinate self-esteem …”
Inordinate self-esteem might be further defined as ego run riot. And EGO has a way of Edging God Out. In Proverb 16:30, pride is linked with “a haughty spirit.” Turning again to our dictionary, “haughty is defined as blatantly and disdainfully proud: having or showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior.”

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:3b-4

There are no small jobs when it comes to serving the Lord. The sexton who makes sure the doors of the church are unlocked is no less a servant of God than the evangelist who opens the doors of heaven to thousands.

The apostle Paul offers guidance: Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Galatians 6:4 (NLT)

We started with the question, “Is it wrong to feel good about doing good?” Sometimes Christians miss out on the joy that comes from serving the Lord because they fear they will be condemned if they take any credit for the work they do. One wonderful man of God I know responds to any acknowledgement of his service with the words, “It’s nothing. To God be the glory.”

My friend’s aim is to follow the directive in 1 Peter 4:11.
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

What my friend may be failing to appreciate is that there is a world of difference between saying, “Look at me; I did it.” and “I did it;  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. One is ego driven; the other is Spirit driven.

My prayer is that this friend and many others could hear and appreciate the words the apostle Paul offered the Corinthians, “I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”
2 Corinthian 7:4 (NIV)

Is it OK to take pride in what you do for the Lord? Satan would like nothing better than for you to “put your light under a basket.” But feeling good about doing good and sharing your joy with others is another way, if done with humility, to let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 (NLT)

Verse for the Week: Nehemiah 8:10b

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ