Acts 12:20-25
I read this passage this morning and in light of recent events it stood out to me more than it has in the past. Basically these people come before Herod because they want him to continue feeding them. He gives a speech and the people proclaim that he is no ordinary man but that he is actually a god. Instead of pointing out that he is not god and then directing the people to God, he allowed them to continue chanting and evidently was enjoying his fame. What happens next? He is killed by God. "immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died." I, for one, am thankful that God has not killed me in times of my own pride. I wanted to take the opportunity to encourage you all, (the three people who read this) to give God all the glory. I have recently been reminded again that I am a weak, sinful man. I can not move, breathe, think, love, worship, serve, see, hear, or anything else apart from the power of God on my life. I see more and more that I am a sinner and if not for the grace of God I would be completely and desperately lost. I have come to see that it is only when we see our failures and stand before God naked, admitting and confessing our sinfulness, that we can truly grow. We need to stop acting like we are good, stop acting like we have everything together, and stop acting like God owes us something. In other words, we need to stop acting like we are gods. Herod learned this lesson the hard way, but we can learn from his mistake. We must give God the glory for the good in our lives, and humbly come before Him, thanking Him for his goodness to us. We should all be dead but He has allowed us to live. He continues to give us breath, the very least we can do is give it back in worship and honor.
Revelation 4:11
Eucharisteo
15 years ago
