Give Him all the Glory

"On the appointed day Herod,

wearing his royal robes,

sat on his throne

and delivered a public address to the people.

They shouted,

'this is the voice of a god, not of a man.'

Immediately,

because Herod did not give praise to God,

an angel of the Lord struck him down,

and he was eaten by worms and died."

Acts 12:21-23

When the crowd saw what Paul had done,

they shouted in the Lycaonian language,

'The gods have come down to us in human form!'

. . .But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this,

they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd,

shouting: 'Men, why are you doing this?

We too are only men, human like you.

We are bringing you good news,

telling you to turn from these worthless things

 to the living God, 

who made heaven

 and earth

 and sea

 and everything in them.'

. . .Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium

and won the crowd over.

They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city,

thinking he was dead."

Acts 14:11,14-15, 19

I remember watching Return of the Jedi and laughing as the Ewoks, the cute, fluffy creatures of the moon of Endor venerated the proper yet cowardly C-3P0 as a god.  The ever-sarcastic Han Solo, who at the time was held captive by the natives, said, "Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?"  Surprisingly, the droid declined.  When Solo asked why, C-3P0 responded that, "it's against my programming to impersonate a deity."

Even a droid understands the implications of accepting the worship and adoration fit only for the One True God.  Unfortunately, King Herod did not mind accepting such admiration from men.  The consequences of his decision to remain quiet and allow men to call him a god were swift and horrible, resulting in his death.  

On the other side of the coin lies the example of Paul and Barnabas.  As soon as they heard men were attempting to label them as gods, they immediately showed their fierce revulsion of of the thought.  The two men did everything they could to convince the crowd that God alone deserved praise, but their enemies convinced the mob otherwise.  Paul was stoned and left for dead.

In both cases, the outcome was death.  For Herod, God's judgment was final and true.  For Paul, man's judgment was painful but not absolute.  It only appeared Paul was dead.

Honoring God in the way I live my life does not mean that things will always turn out comfortable and to my liking.  Sometimes, God allows evil to prevail for a time so that God can get all the glory in the end.  Through this and other situations of persecution, Paul learned that God grace is enough and that it is in times when I am incapable of saving myself that God's power is made known.  ( 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Allowing praise to go to God alone may not result in an easy life, but there are benefits to be reaped in giving Him all the glory.

Peace

Everyone has their own idea of how to achieve peace.  Jimi Hendrix said, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."  Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that, "Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding."  Nelson Mandela's approach was through friendship. He said, "If you want to have peace with your enemy, you must work with your enemy.  Then he becomes your partner."

While these ideas may seem grand in theory, and may even have enjoyed some success in practice, there is only one way to achieve inner peace.  Jesus gives me peace and provides a way for me to benefit from a relationship with the God whom I have offended with my sin.  When He took my punishment for my sin, He made a way for me to enter into a close, intimate relationship with the God of the universe.  My sin is not longer held against me, through faith in Jesus Christ.

In this way, I am at peace with God.  Harmony with God results in a heart at peace, despite what goes on around me or how I'm treated.  

Following Jesus, however, does not mean I'll have peace with the world.  Quite the opposite is actually to be expected. (John 15:19,Matthew 10:22)  Staying true to God and not accepting credit for what He has done may not be popular with those around me, but it will keep me at peace with God.

There are times when God has clearly worked out a situation in my life.  Those I work with may say, "Wow!  That was pretty smart of you!"  I can either accept the praise, or give God to glory.  When people praise my parenting skills, I can thank them and move on, or I can take the time to give God the credit for guiding me and teaching me.  During times of difficulty, others may notice my peaceful countenance.  It would be easy for me to accept their praise of my strength, but it would be more admirable for me to tell how God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.  (Psalm 46:1)

There are many times that people try to give me the credit, but refusing to accept praise that God deserves will result in peace with Him.

Fruit

Growing fruit in a home garden is not easy.  There are many pests, diseases, and conditions to deal with, making the job quite complicated.  

In an even more powerful way, producing fruit of God's Spirit and results that will be valuable in His kingdom is completely impossible apart from Jesus.  (John 15:5)  I can try hard to win people for Christ, but if He is not leading me, equipping me and drawing them, it will not come to pass.  I can put all my effort into trying to be more patient and loving, but I will find I don't have it in me.  I can make it my life's passion to preach the truth but if it's not flowing from the One who claims to be the Truth, it will have no lasting impact.

When I acknowledge God in all my ways, though, I will begin to see things happen that I can't explain.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  Lives will be changed, hearts will be softened, questions will be answered.  

Letting God rule in my life, however, means more than just giving Him all the honor and praise.  It also means letting Him take the lead, submitting to Him and His will.  In this way, everything I do will be attributed to Him.  (Matthew 5:16)  Missionary leader and writer Andrew Murray pointed out an important distinction to be made.  He said, "Do not confound work and fruit.  There may be a good deal of work for Christ that is not the fruit of the heavenly Vine."

How can I know?  By staying connected to Jesus in relationship with Him.  I do this by keeping Him at the forefront of my thoughts, obeying His lead, and responding to His prompts.  When I read His Word and His Spirit moves my heart, reacting with action to change my ways or thought processes in order to line up with what He taught me will lead to an even closer bond with Him.  As I grow closer, His love will naturally flow through me.  The minute I try to take back control or to pay attention to my flesh instead of Him, however, I'll drift further away from my Lord.

I am constantly tempted to control my own life , but when I submit to God's sovereign will, I will bear much fruit.

Kingdom

When I think of a kingdom, I picture a mighty yet benevolent king dwelling in a splendid palace, ruling over his doting subjects.  The kingdom I envision in this scenario is definitely a place.

The Pharisees must have thought similarly as they looked forward to the day when the Messiah would deliver them from the oppressive rule of the Romans.  Jesus, however, set them straight. He said, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20b-21)

Jesus has set up His kingdom in the hearts of His people.  Wherever I go, I take His kingdom with me.  When times get hard, like they were for the Jewish people during Jesus' time, I can take heart because my Lord and Savior has overcome the world.  (John 16:33)

The only way Christ will set up His kingdom in my heart is if I give up my right to establish my own kingdom, ruled by my own selfish desires.  I want to defend my reputation or the privileges I think I deserve.  My kingdom is governed by my craving for my own comfort or sense of security.  There are times when the only thing I'm concerned about is in making sure I get my fair share.  My kingdom conflicts with God's.  (Galatians 5:17)

When my highest desire, however, is to please God and walk with Him, He will rule in my heart. It is then that I'll experience His kingdom within.

Christ will set up His kingdom within my heart as soon as I get rid of the rights I claim to mine.

As I go through my life, I will experience many who try to give me credit, temptations to garner control for myself, or the desire to establish my own kingdom.  If I let God get all the glory, however, I'll experience peace with Him, fruit that lasts and the joy of experiencing His kingdom.  These are all benefits that come with making an effort to give Him all the glory.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will desire to give God all the glory.

When do I tend to steal the glory without realizing it?

How am I setting up my own kingdom where I rule supreme?