No book asks better questions than the Bible. No person in the Bible asks better questions than Jesus. They are the kind of questions that go to the heart of a matter. They force us to face issues straight on, without evasion or excuses.

In John 5:44 Jesus asks His customary thought provoking question, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" Read that again and think!

A God pleasing faith is impossible, when we are more concerned about what people think than what God thinks, when we are more interested in receiving people's praises than God's praises, and when the influence of people is more powerful in our lives than the influence of God. Desiring people's praises (desiring honor for self and concerns about self-esteem) has its roots in the sin of pride and the failure to humble ourselves before God. "Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud" (Proverbs 16:19).