Let's look at a verse that describes Joshua's reputation after the walls of Jericho collapsed:
So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land (Joshua 6:27).
Joshua was famous and it was all God's doing, for God put him in the position he was in and caused people to talk about him and his exploits. It's difficult for some to grasp that God may also want them to have a reputation and be known for their God-given purpose or creativity. This is because we have been taught to think of what John the Baptist said, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).
However, John said that because some of his disciples were jealous of Jesus, complaining that "Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him" (John 3:26). John's response was in terms of public prominence and notoriety, not gifts or personality.
The truth is, if God wants to give you fame and use that for His purpose, it's none of your business. Playing small or hiding when God has bestowed on you a personality that can attract and impact many is denying God the right to do what He wants when He wants as He wants with your life. God is not insecure or threatened when His people are known, for that is the only way He will be known.
Are you ambivalent about the reputation and public stature God has given you? Are you playing small, so to speak, when you have a big gift meant to touch many? Are you judging others who have a more public presence, thinking they should "decrease" when God is using their "increase" of notoriety for His purpose?
If God has made you with a prominent or charismatic personality, the important thing is not to deny who you are, but to stay humble. And you can stay humble by being a servant, as Joshua was, serving the needs of the people which can best be done through the prominent place the Lord has assigned to you.
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