TOPIC: GLORY BELONGS TO GOD
MEMORISE:
I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Isaiah 43:15
READ: Daniel 4:30-37
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
MESSAGE:
Seven years after Nebuchadnezzar was deposed from his throne and disgraced to the point of eating grass like an ox, he realized that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men. Nebuchadnezzar had erroneously thought that he became great by the “might of his power” (Daniel 4:30), but later realized that it was God who made him great. Many people commit this same error today by proclaiming that their success came by “dint of hard work”. Beloved, what is it that a man has that he did not receive (1 Corinthians 4:7)? Any achievement that will not lead us back to the original Achiever- the Almighty God, is deadly.
The Bible warns against being boastful without giving glory to God, in James 4:13-15:
“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
It is the Almighty God who has the power to will and to do because He is Sovereign. It is an abominable thing in the sight of the Sovereign God for anyone to boast of not only what he has achieved as though it were by his ability, but even what he could do in the future. James 4:16 says “But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.”
We should never ascribe to ourselves the glory due to God as King Herod did. All he had to do was redirect the glory of God but he failed to do so and this cost him his life, as we see in Acts 12:21-23:
“And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 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.”
Glory belongs to God. Make it a habit to return all glory to God always and He will keep promoting you, in the mighy name of Jesus.
ACTION POINT:
Are there times you have ascribed God’s glory to yourself? Repent now and return all glory to Him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 6-10.
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME.
1. All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
2. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
3. Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
4. Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We’ll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
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