From whom do I seek recognition?

"Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." John 12:42-43

We all want to recognized and if we are honest, sometimes at the cost of the gospel. We so desire for the praise of something, that often we look for the recognition of man because it seems more immediate and available. Sometimes I struggle with doing things "unto the Lord," because I can't see Him. When impatience rises up, when I don't act in the flesh by acting out my anger but rather act in self control, (which would be God glorifying) the glory is not given to whom it is due because I am puffed up with pride and delight in the recognition of anyone who is watching.

The Greek word doxa (δόξα), meaning glory, referring to the recognition belonging to a person, honor, or renown. In other words glory if the recognition given to something. When I give glory to God, I recognize Him in that situation for who He is. The Apostle John is telling us, that although these men believed (were persuaded in their mind) in Jesus, they did not publicly confess (to speak agreeably to the fact and truth) Jesus because they did not want to be removed from the people that recognized them. Notice the verse does not say they did not want to confess Jesus because they would be removed from their place of worship. No, it is because they did not want to be removed from the glory that comes from the people who reside in their synagogue. Ouch! In many instances could that be me?

This post is long, but I have to share this quote because it explains more adequately the subtle way in which this recognition of man is manifested:

"There is something that assaults God even more directly. It is the subtle sense that grows in us, usually unconsciously, that the real effectiveness of our spiritual acts is at the horizontal level among people, not before the face of God. In other words, if my children see my pray at meals, it will do them good. If the staff sees me fasting they may be inspired to fast. If my roommate sees me read my bible, he may be inspired to read his. And so on.
Now that's not all bad. Jesus' public prayers certainly inspired the disciples (Luke 11:1). But the danger is that all of our life- including our spiritual life- starts to be justified and understood simply on the horizontal level for the effects it can have because others see it happening. And so God subtly and slowly can become a secondary Person in the living of our lives. We may think that he is important to us because all these things that we are doing are the kinds of things he wants us to do. But, in fact, he himself is falling out of the picture as the focus of it all. And this registers in the motives of our hearts so that we feel satisfied when other are watching, but feel unmotivated if no one knows what were are doing- not one but God!...
Jesus is calling for a radical orientation on God himself. He is pushing us to have a real, utterly authentic, personal relationship with God. If God is not real to us- personally, vitally, real to us- it will be miserable to endure something difficult with God alone as the one who knows. It will all seem very pointless, because the whole range of horizontal possibilities will be nullified since no one knows what we are going through. All that matters is God, and who he is, and what he thinks, and what he will do."
-John Piper, A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer

(Emphasis mine)