Tag: giving God glory

Old Testament: Job 30-31

*Poetry: Psalm 44

New Testament: Titus 2

Most people love to claim credit for themselves on any project that went well.  They may choose to neglect telling others that there was a group working on the project, and instead claim all the credit for themselves.  They may acknowledge the fact that a couple other people helped them, but downplay their contributions to the project.  Very few people are going to say that they were part of a group who did something great and emphasize the other people’s contributions to the project.

In Psalm 44, the psalmist says that they heard from their fathers what God did in the past.  Their fathers could have easily claimed that they did it all with their own skill.  They could have claimed that they drove the people out and possessed the lands by their own power.  But, they didn’t.  Their fathers could have also easily said that God helped them some, but it was still mostly by their own efforts that they did these things.  But, they didn’t.  Instead, they said to the Lord their God, “You with Your own hand drove out the nations;  Then You planted them;  You afflicted the peoples,  Then You spread them abroad.  For by their own sword they did not possess the land,  And their own arm did not save them” (vs 2,3a).  They fully acknowledged that God was the one who did all the work.  Without God, they could not have done any of these things.

God also works in our lives, like He did in the fathers’ of the psalmist.  Most of the time He’s not driving out herds of people before us or possessing lands for us, but He’s still working to do something great in us and for us.  When God does something in your life, do you acknowledge that He did it and that it was not by your own strength?  When people ask about it, do you tell them it was fully by God that these things happened, or do you briefly acknowledge it but claim you did most of it?  We need to acknowledge that God did something great and that it was not by our own power.

-Kaitlyn Hamilton

Reflection Questions

1. Who do you most often give the credit to when something goes right in your life?
2. For what events of your personal past can you give God glory? What did He do? What did He save you from? How did He show His strength, power and wisdom?
3. How can you do a better job of giving God the credit and telling others (including children) what He has done for you? How can this help others, including the next generation?