Day 30 - Thursday, March 26
Rung #22: ON VAINGLORY
Scriptures: Galatians 5:26; Philippians 2:3
Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another. Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. 

Poetry: 
A Thanksgiving to God, for his House
by Robert Herrick

Lord, Thou hast given me a cell 
        Wherein to dwell, 
A little house, whose humble roof 
 Is weather-proof: 
Under the spars of which I lie 
         Both soft, and dry; 
Where Thou my chamber for to ward 
         Hast set a guard 
Of harmless thoughts, to watch and keep 
         Me, while I sleep. 
Low is my porch, as is my fate, 
         Both void of state; 
And yet the threshold of my door 
         Is worn by th' poor, 
Who thither come and freely get 
         Good words, or meat. 
Like as my parlour, so my hall 
         And kitchen's small; 
A little buttery, and therein 
         A little bin, 
Which keeps my little loaf of bread 
         Unchipp'd, unflead; 
Some brittle sticks of thorn or briar 
         Make me a fire, 
Close by whose living coal I sit, 
         And glow like it. 
Lord, I confess too, when I dine, 
         The pulse is Thine, 
And all those other bits, that be 
         There plac'd by Thee; 
The worts, the purslain, and the mess 
         Of water-cress, 
Which of Thy kindness Thou hast sent; 
         And my content 
Makes those, and my beloved beet, 
         To be more sweet. 
'Tis Thou that crown'st my glittering hearth 
         With guiltless mirth; 
And giv'st me wassail-bowls to drink, 
         Spic'd to the brink. 
Lord, 'tis Thy plenty-dropping hand 
         That soils my land; 
And giv'st me, for my bushel sown, 
         Twice ten for one; 
Thou mak'st my teeming hen to lay 
         Her egg each day; 
Besides my healthful ewes to bear 
         Me twins each year; 
The while the conduits of my kine 
         Run cream, for wine. 
All these, and better, Thou dost send 
         Me, to this end, 
That I should render, for my part, 
         A thankful heart, 
Which, fir'd with incense, I resign, 
         As wholly Thine; 
But the acceptance, that must be, 
         My Christ, by Thee. 

ON VAINGLORY

I have worked the majority of my adult life here at Biola.  My roles in Alumni Relations and Advancement have been the perfect fit for my skills, abilities, and love for people. And, the work has made a difference as we prepare the next generation of Christian leaders. I know that my career has been a gift from God, and as I look back on the last 40 years, a true blessing and honor!

For most of my career, I have managed people.  In the early days after graduating from Biola, I moved up the ladder in leadership, gaining responsibilities and authority.  I can remember as a young manager in my 30’s thinking how great of a boss I must be as my programs succeeded, my staff grew, and I was accomplished in my work.  As time passed I felt great pride in what I had accomplished and who I was.  And you know, for many of us, our self-esteem, self-worth, and self-perceived value come from our career and the world’s measurement and messaging of “success!”  And, that’s not a good thing because there is no biblical reward for worldly success!

As time passed, I had several employees leave for other opportunities outside of the organization.  Biola has always had the policy that when an employee leaves, an exit interview will help understand the reasons why.  Then as now, that exit interview hosted by Human Resources was shared with the Vice President of the division, for whom I worked, with the option of sharing it with me.  I will always be thankful for my supervisors, both then and now for their transparency, and desire to make their departments stronger and managers better.

I still recall the shock and disappointment, these many years later that I felt in the content of that exit interview.  It was a clear criticism of my lack of humility, failure to listen more than speak, and exhortation for me to always be available to hear my employees concerns and act in such a way as to consider others more important than myself.  Wow…. it was eye opening for this young manager to hear the honest assessment of my shortcomings. 

I had always prided myself in being a good manager.  But, in my busyness, in my distractions, in my self-absorption of my own value, I had forgotten the relationship part of dealing with others.  I committed that day to being a better listener, to considering others as more important than myself, and to finding my success in the success of those that work for me.  And the application of the principle reached far beyond the workplace to my wife, my children and my friends.  This important passage of scripture takes me back to that moment of the harsh reality that I was falling short.  I was lacking not only as a manager, but as a child of God in how I dealt with those whom I was to encourage, support and lift-up as a boss, as a husband, as a father and as a friend.  Have I fallen short in these areas since? You could ask my wife Julie and I know she would say I’m a typical man!  (So yes!)  But my heart and desire is to always be present in the moment giving my full respect and attention to whomever I am with.  How about you?  Are you living in the moment with your full attention to what God might be calling you to do in the lives of those around you? That’s my prayer for all of us today.

Prayer:
Father, hear our prayer. Create in us a sensitivity and awareness of the needs of others.  Bring us to a humbleness and selflessness that aligns with your purpose and your eternal perspective.  Remove us from our own vainglory and make of us what you desire. May we reflect you in every relationship and interaction we have this day, and in the days to come.
In our Savior Jesus name I pray. 
Amen

Dr. Rick Bee
Senior Director of Advancement
Adjunct Bible Professor
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.  To learn more about the themes of this year’s Lent Project, please go to: https://ccca.biola.edu/lent/2020/#day-feb-25