Giving God the Credit
Have you ever done something for someone else and felt good about it? Maybe you feel proud that you gave something up for someone else. One thing that we often forget when we do this is that the good things we do in life are not of ourselves, but of God. I know I myself fall into this trap quite frequently. However difficult as this might be, it is necessary to strive for a state of mind where we give God credit for everything we do right. We must have the prudence to remember that it is from God’s grace that we are able to act out his will. What a gift though! To think that God lets us be His instrument to enact His will on earth. I can think of no greater honor.
The other day I was sitting on the back of one of the small boats my unit operates on while we were driving down a river. As I was sitting there, people that were on the shore and on other boats would wave to us and I would wave back. I started to think about how much respect people gave to members of the Coast Guard. They don’t even have to know what you do, but they appreciate you anyway. Then I started to become proud of what I did for a living. I reveled in the respect for a little while, and then I suddenly realized what I was doing. I was giving myself credit for what God was doing through me. How arrogant of me! I then turned to thankfulness to God for allowing me to participate in His work, something I should have done from the beginning.
We must remember that God first created us, allowing us to reach for him. Then He gave us the grace to live out his will. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” from the prayer that our Lord taught us. Because of this it is just for us to give the good Lord credit for every good that we do. For as the Scriptures say, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31. “But rather, let him who glories, glory in this, that in his prudence he knows me, Knows that I, the LORD, bring about kindness, justice and uprightness on the earth; For with such am I pleased, says the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23.
It’s not that we cannot enjoy doing the right thing, it is only that we must have the fortitude to always give the honor and glory to God, the one who provided us with the opportunity and the ability.
So how do we do this. How do we go from giving ourselves the credit for what God does through us in the world, to giving God the honor and credit that is rightfully His?
Path Alignment:
- The first step to doing this is prayer. As with all things we need the help of God. We should start everyday in prayer asking God to help us live out our day glorifying Him, that we may give Him the credit that is due to Him. We know that we can do nothing without His help, which is why we should give Him the glory and credit to begin with. Now we can see this in practice. So once we have begun to regularly give Him credit for all the good things we do, we must glorify Him again for helping us to do just that.
- The next step is to remember Christ whenever you do something good. That way whenever someone praises you for something you had done, the thought of Christ will be in the memory. This will help you catch yourself before you fall into the trap of swelling with pride.
- If you do fall into that trap and remember later what you should have done, go back to whomever it was that you spoke with, whether it be yourself or another, and tell them the truth about who is the one worthy of praise.
- Lastly if you forget all together don’t let that get you down. The best thing to do is to try again. We are looking for spiritual growth, not an overnight cure. It will take a long time to make this a habit, but it will be worth it, and even if success doesn’t come the good Lord will surely recognize your efforts.
Your brother in Christ,
Chad Parker
