After Jesus had fed the multitudes by multiplying the five loaves and two fish in John 6 the people wanted to make Him king of the Jews by force. Some of us would have seen this as a sign of confidence the people had in us to lead them, but Jesus was not swayed by their words. His response in John 6:26 is, “you only look for me because of the bread that I have given you,” In other words, your motives for following me are purely selfish because you have seen what I can do and how that can benefit you.
When complimented accept the compliment for what it is and move on. Sometimes people are sincere and only reveal the treasures and potential that they see locked up within us that we have failed to see for ourselves due to fear, insecurity, distractions or simply a lack of focus. However, we should learn to discern and ask God whether the insights that others have revealed about us should be taken into consideration and explored further before incorporating them into our vision and plans for the future.
Remember, despite any good intentions on the part of others, we remain answerable to God and need to give an account for what he called us to do on this earth. Had Jesus taken the people’s request of making Him King to heart, He would have abandoned His assignment and any hope of man being redeemed and receiving salvation would have been lost. Sadly, this was not the case for King Saul who out of fear and the desire to please the people so much, disobeyed an instruction the Lord had given which later resulted in the kingdom being torn away from him and given to another. Let’s acknowledge and receive people’s compliments with gratitude but let the compliments not redirect us from our purpose and true calling.