“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” – Acts 14:15
When things go well, to whom do you give credit? Paul and Barnabas had done a great thing, healing a disabled man. Seeing this miracle, the crowd was so impressed that they declared Barnabas and Paul to be gods and were ready to celebrate them in a major way. Realizing what was happening, they quickly gave all credit to the one true God.
In your life, you’ve probably done some pretty great things. People may well have celebrated your accomplishments. When that happened, to whom did you give credit? Without resorting to fake humility, did you use that opportunity to point people to the God Who gifted you with the ability to do those things or did you simply enjoy the praise of others? Did you use that opportunity to promote yourself or promote the knowledge of God? Did you use the celebration to point toward what is ultimately good – life in Christ or to merely live in the moment?
Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve let past moments be about you rather than the God Who made and saved you. If you’ve tended to let people praise and celebrate your accomplishments in the past, turn that over to God and ask His forgiveness. Look for ways going forward to turn any celebration of you into an opportunity to share the truth of God’s blessing, presence, faithfulness, and work in your life. #FollowJesus