Take care in pursuit of fame, reputation

Recently I wrote about God's reminder that our work is not a punishment or curse, but a gift - yet another opportunity to apply the gifts we have been given to glorify His name. Last night at our men's group we examined the subject of "reputation." Coincidentally, I discovered among writings from my father a paragraph or two on the subject of fame. Dad, who served as a substitute and interim pastor in the Fifties, wrote a sermon titled: "A Way to Live." A portion of the lesson related to Christ's temptations by Satan following 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. He wrote in part:
"When a man or woman has been born with greater appetites than simply accumulating material possessions, we find another powerful weapon Satan can use to attack our weakness. One of the keys to success that Napoleon and every great general has used is to determine the soft spot in the enemy's ranks, and attack it. When Satan saw that Jesus was not to be conquered with an appeal to baser appetites, he suggested Jesus could impress people by throwing himself off a high pinnacle of the temple, where all would see him, and then use his divine power and authority over the angels to miraculously save himself. Satan even quoted Scripture to tempt Jesus to use his power and become famous."
The lesson about our work continued: "Humans with an appetite for fame will do all manner of things to attract attention to themselves. They will neglect family and friends, endanger body and soul, even the lives of others for the applause of the crowd."
He wrote of men who would compromise principle and conviction for the fame of excelling in their businesses. But he then cautioned: "We must be careful not to be misunderstood. God wants us to excel in our chosen line of work, to use our talents. But we must always count the cost, and weigh the value of our objectives. While we go forth to do 'great things,' we must constantly consult God in prayer and not presume upon His love and patience to help us climb up and succeed at any cost."
It is good to recall Paul's admonition in Galatians 1:10: "For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
Last night's study in the Robert Lewis "Winning at Work and Home" series included the following bibically based practices for "establishing your name at work:"
1) Don't just work; work to be really good at something (Prov. 22:29)
2) Be responsive to those above you and earn their trust (Prov. 25:13)
3) Overdeliver (Prov. 10:4)
4) Be an encourager and team builder (1Thess. 5:11 and Eph. 4:29)
5) Keep your word (Matt. 5:37 and Psa. 15:4)
Our group added a couple of ideas, including a) Set an example. Don't ask others to do what you would not; b) Give others grace and c) Set God's glory as "the bar," never identifying man's approval as your primary objective.
I pray that any effort on my part to "gain reputation" will simply reflect my desire to please the Father, to reflect His character. I pray that I will be reminded daily that I do not "take off my spiritual self" and "put on the old man (pre-saved)" when I step into my role as a worker. Thank you, Lord, for your unconditional love, for your Word, and for the blessing of work.