Lay
Your Trophies At His Feet: Devotion for Wednesday August 17, 2016
Text:
1 Samuel 17:54 Memory
verse: 1 Samuel 17:54
There are many reasons David won the heart of
God. One of them is what he did in our text. Great exploits God uses us to
perform or miracles God did for us can be a source of temptation to arrogate
the glory to ourselves, making our heads swell. This is a warning for as many as
would want to please and gain His favour and approval. We should not arrogate the
glory of God to ourselves because He can share His glory with us and we can’t even achieve anything without
Him.
If some of us were David, we would have
erected a 20 meter by 30 meter sign post or billboard showing us and Goliath requesting
that people should come and see the man who killed the giant. Our houses would
have turn into tourist centres. However, it was not so with David. He took the
sword to God’s house and went home. He did not allow that exploit to enter his
head. He laid the trophy at God‘s feet. He dedicated the sword of Goliath as a
votive offering to the Lord. 1 Samuel 21:9 confirms that David kept Goliath’s
sword at the tent that houses the Ark of the Covenant. A lesson and challenge
for us never to take the glory of what God had done with and through us.
When God uses us to perform miracles or to do
exploits, how do we react? Does it enter our heads as if there is none like us?
Do we automatically begin to answer names like Demon Bulldozer, Apostle of Fire,
By Fire by Force, etc? In Acts 14:8ff, Paul healed a crippled man who hasn’t
walked since birth in Lystra. They termed him Hermes and Barnabas was called
Zeus. The priest in charge of that temple of Zeus in Lystra brought oxen and
garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice them to Paul and Barnabas with
the multitudes (Acts 14:13). But Paul resisted them (Acts 14:14). We shouldn’t
take the glory that belongs to God. When we are used by God, we should
appreciate Him in humility and return all the glory to Him.
Food
for Thought:
Humble disposition is the best way to honour God for what He has made us.
Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace
never to take the glory that belongs to you.
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