How to Make Yourself Sick

The Newport Institute reports, “Because social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, focus on sharing (and sometimes oversharing) one’s own image and opinions, young adults who use these platforms frequently are prone to narcissism. Research shows that higher amounts of social media use predict higher levels of grandiose narcissism.”

We probably didn’t need research to tell us that narcissists are more attracted to social media and that they use it for self-promotion more than other users do. Social media was made for self-promotion. What’s so bad about self-promotion?

Self-Glorification Is Not Glorious but Sickening (25:27)

What would happen if you ate a whole pot of honey? You would enjoy it at first, but eventually, you’d feel sick, then be sick, covering you more with vomit than glory. It looks like Solomon did that and learned a spiritual lesson too. “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory” (25:27). Did you feel that sting?

Seeking one’s own glory is not glorious; it’s sickening. Living for self, focusing on self, and promoting self—in real life or over social media—is a shameful sickness of the soul. Just as honey was never meant to be eaten like steak, so we were made to seek not our own glory but God’s.

Imagine you’re at a shooting range that has targets with prizes underneath for hitting various targets.22 Right in the middle is the biggest target. It has a prize of a million dollars, and no one is shooting at it. People are walking away delighted with their rubber duck and their cute teddy bear, but the biggest target with the biggest prize goes unclaimed!

That’s what’s happening all over the world every day. And it could be happening in your little world too, because that’s effectively what happens when we aim for our glory rather than God’s. God sets himself forth as the biggest prize we could possibly enjoy in this life, but the vast majority of people are shooting for rubber ducks and stuffed animals. That’s sick, isn’t it?

Too much praise will make you puke.

What’s the cure for this soul sickness?

God-Glorification Is Glorious and Enjoyable (25:27)

Self-glorification is not a recent problem. Over 350 years ago, a number of pastors got together and wrote a brief Q&A about God, called the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Their first question was: “What is the chief end/aim of man?” What should we aim at above anything and everything else?

They answered: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” To put it in a more popular way: Our number one target in life is God, and he’s also our greatest prize.

We’re here to end in God. Whatever else we aim at in life, let’s make sure we aim at God above all. How do we do that? We do it by glorifying God, by exalting God, by lifting him up and magnifying him, by making him big and high in our thoughts, in our affections, in our words, in our actions, and in every area of life.

And what will the result be? If we aim at God above all and glorify God above all, we will enjoy God above all else. We can only enjoy God if he is number one in our lives.

If we glorify God in everything, we will enjoy God in everything.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

Jesus came to glorify his Father and humiliated himself to do that (John 17:4). Therefore God exalted him and gave him greater glory than anyone ever (Phil. 2:5–11). He promoted God and God promoted him.

Summary: What’s so bad about self-promotion? Shrink self-promotion because it’s the opposite of why we were made and therefore makes us and others sick.

Question: How can you become more of a God-promoter than a self-promoter?

Prayer: Glorious God, as you alone are worthy of glory, help me to give you all the glory and pursue none of my own.