Top Five Tuesday — Top Five (Or More) Things OTHER People Should Say

There are certain phrases that those of us who are part of the church in general and ministry in particular should never use as self-descriptors.

In other words, we should never say them about ourselves . . . but we should be grateful if others say them about us.

Here are a few:

  • Claim to be a “man of God” or “woman of God.”
  • Lift up our own “integrity.” (It’s why I never could wear those Promise Keepers shirts in the 90s — the tag line said “Men Of Integrity.”)
  • Refer to our own level of “spiritual maturity.”
  • Speak of ourselves as having “class” — including the two most ubiquitous phrases in the in the “class” family: classy and a class act.
  • Emphasize the depth of our “sincerity” or “honesty.”
  • And of course, we shouldn’t boast of our humility.

I suspect that if we claim to have any of the above qualities, it’s a good indication we don’t.