So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. —Acts 12:21-23 (NKJV)
One of the mistakes I have seen many people make is that when God begins to bless them, they suddenly think they are succeeding solely because of their hard work and intelligence. They even go as far as making comments that suggest God was not involved in their success, saying things like, “I cannot just give people my hard-earned money.” They make it look as though grace was not involved in their achievements.
Recently, I listened to an interview where a young man was asked if he attributed his success to God. He said no, claiming that God had no hand in his success; it was purely his hard work and nothing else. When I heard that, I was shocked because he refused to give God the glory.
Beloved, as believers, we are not supposed to speak like this. No matter how smart or hardworking we think we are, it is God’s grace that makes our labor amount to something. If you do not recognize this and give God the glory, you won’t be able to go far. Like the young man I mentioned, I know where such an attitude eventually leads, because he has taken all the glory and given God none.
You might ask, “What is wrong with what the young man said?” Everything is wrong. Apart from the fact that he took the glory, that attitude was pride on display. Every time you begin to think that your power or hard work has brought you this far, you are displaying pride, and God hates pride.
This was the mistake King Herod made that cut his life short. As we see in our opening text:
So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. —Acts 12:21-23 (NKJV)
Did you see that? Because he did not give glory to God, he was struck, and that was how his chapter closed. Beloved, if you do not want things like this to happen to you, you must learn to give God all the glory, irrespective of your effort. Even the ability to be hardworking or smart was given to you by Him. Acknowledge Him and give Him the glory. Praise God!
Today’s Rhema
Learn to give God all the glory because it is His grace in your life that makes the difference!
Confession for the Day
Father, I acknowledge Your role and grace in my life and existence, and I do not take it for granted. I give You all the glory, honor, and adoration that You deserve. Without You, I wouldn’t be alive or be where I am today. Therefore, take all the glory now and forevermore, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
