Give God the Glory for What He’s Done
SCRIPTURE
Acts 21:17–20a — After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God.
COWBOY WISDOM
Out on the range, a good cowhand knows the difference between his own skill and the Lord's provision. A man can work sunup to sundown, but if the rain doesn't come, the grass doesn't grow. Paul understood that truth better than most. When he stood before the elders in Jerusalem and gave his report, he didn't take a single ounce of credit for himself. He simply told them, one by one, the things that God had done through his ministry — and the whole room erupted in praise to the Lord.
That word 'through' is important. Paul didn't say what he had done for God. He said what God had done through him. There's a world of difference in those two little words. The Scripture reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:7, 'So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.' The harvest always belongs to the One who makes things grow.
When God does something remarkable in your life, in your family, or in your church, it's easy to point to the preacher, the program, or the people. But every soul won, every life changed, every chain broken — that's the handiwork of the Holy Spirit. He just gives us the honor of being in the saddle when it happens. Don't let the glory stop with you. Pass it straight on up to the Lord.
Make it a habit to share what God is doing — not to build yourself up, but to build others' faith and point every eye toward heaven. When Paul's report reached those Jerusalem elders, it didn't just praise God; it strengthened the whole church. Your testimony of what God has done has that same power today.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
When God does something good in your life, is your first instinct to tell others what He did — or to take some of the credit yourself? What does that reveal about your heart?
Think of a specific thing God has done in your life recently. How can you 'give a report' of that to someone this week to encourage their faith?
Why do you think Paul was so careful to tell the story 'one by one' — in detail? What does that teach us about how we share what God has done?
PRAYER FOCUS
Lord, forgive me for the times I've taken credit for what only You could do. Today I want to give You the glory — all of it. Open my eyes to see Your hand at work around me, and give me the boldness to tell others about it, so that more hearts will be pointed toward You. Let my report always lead to praise. In Jesus' name, Amen.
