Memorise:
For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory unto another. Isaiah 48:11
Read: Acts 12:20-23
20 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.
21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Message
It is very wrong, and an act of stealing, for a person to take all the credit for a job done by team effort. If you are part of the team that performed a particular feat, it is wrong to relegate others to the background and bring yourself to the fore. It even gets worse when you steal God’s glory. Do you know that some people try to steal the show from God? Hear them out during testimony time: they will talk about the problem and lay much emphasis on how much they prayed, fasted or sowed seeds, giving God little or no room in it. Whereas, the emphasis should be on what God did or how God intervened. The truth is, while facing a problem, it is possible to pray even a hundred times and God will not hear you. That God heard or intervened at all is a mark of His mercy. If He chooses not to answer, what can you do? Stop stealing the show, because you are nothing without God!
Some servants of God being used of Him in the miraculous have become so deceived that they now rub shoulders with God. How can a man of God say, “If you are sick, come to me and I will heal you?” Are you now the healer? Can you cure a headache, if God has not chosen to channel His power through you? If there is one thing God is not prepared to share, it is His glory. He made this very clear in Isaiah 42:8:
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
Anytime you attribute a feat to yourself, your power, wisdom or ability, you steal from God’s glory. If you are involved in such, you are courting serious trouble. You need to learn from the shameful demise of Herod in our Bible reading, after He stole God’s glory for himself. If God is doing anything through you, it is for the sake of His Name. This He very much said in Isaiah 48:11:
“For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I not give my glory unto another.”
Have you stolen from God’s glory? Have you taken credit for any miracle, sign or wonder the Lord has used you to perform? Return it to Him today in humility! Are you ascribing the growth and development of your church to yourself? What could you have done without God’s help? Return every glory and credit you have stolen, lest you bring God’s judgement on yourself.
Action Point
In every way you have stolen God’s glory, restitute now.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 8:1-10:10, 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-5:10
author: Pastor E. A. Adeboye
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