Vanity

By Hunter Grills

June 30, 2026

Ps 24:4-5 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Everywhere we look, sports competitions and performance seem to influence our society. The desire for winning and lust for success are constantly pulling Christians away from the things of God, including faithful church attendance.

Vanity is spoken of many times in Scripture. One definition of vanity is—excessive pride in one’s appearance or accomplishments.

In 2 Kings 17:15-16, the Bible says, “And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. [16] And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.”

Being successful and having a desire for growth is not sinful or wrong. The heart motivation is the question.

A pure heart produces pure motivations. The Lord is calling us to be sanctified vessels fit for the Master’s use. The prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 4 called for empty vessels and performed a mighty miracle. An empty vessel is one with full capacity to be used for the purpose it was created. As vessels for our Savior, we are to be sanctified and ready to be used by our Creator. We are not to be lifted up with vanity but rather to empty ourselves to be used by the Master.

Reflection—The inner life is everything to us; if we are wrong there, we are wrong everywhere and in everything.