Many people don’t trust God to fulfill His Word by providing for their needs. They strive to prove their worthiness, and in the process, they look to themselves to fulfill their needs.
A genuinely humble person finds joy in recognizing that God is the source of everything good in his life (James 1:17). He may have worked hard for his money, but it is God who gave him the ability to earn it (Deuteronomy 8:18). You may work hard to be healthy, but it is God who fearfully and wonderfully made you (Psalm 139:14). You may be skillful in music, but God gave you that talent to bless and serve others (1 Peter 4:10). The world may encourage you to be a “self-made” man or woman, but you aren’t. God created you. When you allow Him to create through your life, He achieves His best in and through you.
However, if you take credit for the best God accomplishes through you, you steal His glory and set yourself up for humiliation.
“I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images” (Isaiah 42:8).
You can steal God’s glory by taking credit for what He has done, but you can also steal His glory by not humbly receiving the honor given to you for what He has done through you. Never downplay what you have done for the Lord. Just give Him honor and praise. Jesus never took God’s glory for Himself. He always stated His dependence on God and honored His Father. Jesus said God spoke through Him, and He only spoke His Father’s words.
“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me,” Jesus said. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him”
John 7:16-18
Jesus didn’t speak His own message. He didn’t seek His own glory. There was no unrighteousness in Jesus. He gave God the credit. But He also didn’t deny what God did through Him—the dead were raised, the blind received sight, and the lame walked. He even cited those miracles as evidence of who He was (Matthew 11:4-6). You don’t need to discredit your accomplishments. But do you give God credit for them and acknowledge Him as your source?
Taking credit is pride, but so is downplaying what God has done. You basically steal His glory. Jesus never downplayed the miracles God did through Him. People asked Him where He got His authority, and He faithfully gave the glory to God. He was a faithful and trustworthy messenger of God’s message.
In Proverbs, you discover what is meant by being a trustworthy messenger (Proverbs 13:17; 14:5, 25; 25:13). A faithful and trustworthy messenger is true to the one who sent him. He doesn’t honor and glorify himself but represents correctly and reliably the one who sent him. An untrustworthy messenger is more concerned with his or her own reputation. If the message to be delivered will cause him hurt or discomfort, an untrustworthy messenger will revise the message to be sure it is well received. That is pride. He shouldn’t concern himself with how people will respond. A trustworthy messenger will just do what God says. He is concerned with God’s response and whether He is pleased. Praise the Lord for those who share God’s message correctly and reliably and aren't worried about how it is received.
What about you? Are you a faithful and trustworthy messenger? Are you more concerned about God’s opinion than the opinion of men? Do you seek God’s approval instead of the approval of others? Do you glorify God for His accomplishments and not downplay what He has accomplished through you? Do you refresh your Master's soul?
Humility is balanced. It doesn’t elevate or deflate you. A trustworthy messenger is a person whose life is totally and utterly dependent on God. God is his source. He relies only on the One who created him.
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