Giving Glory to God
It is common to think you were so good at what you did, that you afforded yourself that raise. It is common to help someone and when they thank you, you feel a sense of pride, knowing you made something better or easier for them. It’s easy to think you got well because of something you or a doctor did to fix it. Even easier is saving money on something, and thinking you had something to do with it because you walked in at just the right time. What is not so easy is reminding ourselves to give glory to God. Remembering that God delivers all good things should be the reason for your gratitude in prayer. Keeping God at the focus of your received blessings and accomplishments proves that you show honor to Him.
Have you wondered where something was that you misplaced, and then suddenly found it in a spot you didn’t look before? Luck goes through your mind, as does coincidence, or anything else you find to be a valid reason why something just worked for the good.
It’s easy to quickly thank God in prayer for something we appreciate, such as our daily bread or good health. The important thing though is whether we are capable of recognizing all good experiences and things as blessings, worthy of true praise to God. No good thing that happens should be seen as our own doing.
How many times have you given God the glory this week? Glorifying God is something many don’t think about day to day. Even the most spiritual, well trained teachers of the gospel forget to show God all glory in many types of situations. Too many people only hit their knees and beg God when they need something. A more worthy thing is kneeling with hands outstretched, just to accept and give full glory to God for today’s things, whether large or small.
The Trap of Blaming God
Even the negative can be misconstrued as coming from the devil. Sometimes, we don’t see God doing what we want to see happen in our lives. We see Him as a deliverer of our own flesh wants, not our needs. When was the last time you glorified God? There is no reason we should blame God for things we pray for that we don’t receive. Perhaps it is in God’s perfect wisdom and goodness that we didn’t receive it. Perhaps His withholding of a certain thing saved us from something we would’ve never seen coming. Gifts are usually only called gifts when we see them as positive. When we see something negative, it’s known as a problem, or a curse. Sometimes, we don’t even give it thought to determine if it is what God really wanted for us. If we ask and don’t receive, we forget to give glory to God. In fact, some of the things we don’t receive are the hardest things to identify as gifts given through unanswered prayers.
Be Careful of Pride
Praise and give glory to God for all things. Don’t accept the glory as your own, lest you equal yourself to God. If even you’re not given something you ask for, receive it as a blessing and give Him the glory, that He saw what was best for you before you did. Are you privy to God’s secret counsel or perfect timing? Certainly none of us are. For that reason alone, give glory to your Father always, recognizing each and every blessing and challenge as a gift through God’s mercy and grace, rather than of your own doing.
John 7:18 He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of Him who sent Him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
