“Father..Glorify Your Son that Your Son also may glorify You.”  John 17:1

“If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself..”  John 13:32

This is the time of year where there is a lot of glorification going around.  It is the time for so many award shows.  In a several week period, there are numerous entertainment award shows for virtually every venue.  Various sports are naming their best players for the year as well as inductees into halls of fame.  People are being named top in their fields for their achievements in the past year.  Yes there is a lot of glory being spread around.  Many things to be giving and taking credit for.

The thought of giving and taking credit takes me back to a critical conversation that I had decades ago when I was in the Air Force.  We were on deployment and I was rooming with a person in our squadron who I didn’t know well.  My roommate saw me reading my bible and asked me a couple fantastic questions:  “Why do you read that?  What is that all about?  By the tone of his voice, he wasn’t being critical; he simply was curious.  I briefly spoke to him of the blessings that I felt that I had been given based around certain professional accomplishments and other life areas like family life.  Then he responded with such a hugely important question that I so dearly wish I would have had an equally important answer.  He asked: “Don’t you believe that you deserve credit for those things?”  I vaguely remember answering about God being in control; but all in all I think it was fairly unpersuasive.  But that question reverberates throughout this world:  “Don’t I deserve the credit? The glory?”

That question reverberates not just in the world but as importantly and maybe even more so within the faith community.  What credit/glory do I deserve?  Let there be no doubt, human beings do some incredible things.  There have been some amazing civilizations filled with magnificent art and buildings.  We come up with cures for horrible diseases.  We peer deep into the depths of the universe.  We travel, not only to distant lands but to distant planets.  If you truly look to your own life, you have accomplished many things for which you could claim credit.

If I wanted, I could claim credit that this site has been visited thousands of times by people in over 30 different countries!  Yeah Me!  Really?  First at least for me, let’s break it down.  I chose to be born in a country with the education that it has, to parents who loved me?  I decided that I would have the mental faculties to allow me to read and write?  I am responsible for the bible, which is the source of my inspiration?  I built the internet as well as am responsible for the company that hosts this site? I could go on and on (I know you’re saying please don’t we get it already).

Okay maybe those things I just mentioned are really mainly mostly random chance kinds of things.  I can at least claim complete credit for what I do with them? Right?  Let’s look at the answer this way (oh oh).  If I claim the credit, doesn’t that also mean I take the complete responsibility.  If I claim complete credit, want all the glory for my past triumphs, aren’t I also completely responsible for any future victories?  And if that is indeed the case; doesn’t that mean I have to be in control of most, if not all the possible variables involved in my future endeavors?  And if I need to be in control for my victories and you need be in control for your victories, then aren’t you and you and you my enemy?  Even if that kind of control were possible, it sounds like a pretty lonely, fearful existence to me.

So here’s the thing and my answer to shouldn’t I take credit for “those things”, for my achievements.  I’ve come to realize how few things I not only actually control but have even the possibility of controlling.  The fact that so many things align to allow me to have one achievement might be fate, that is statistically possible.  That so many things have aligned so many times to allow for my many achievements can only logically be seen for what they are:  blessings.  So yes, I could claim, I could even believe that I deserve credit and glory.  However, should I choose to do so, that would forever chain me to the horrible limitations of my own intellect, wisdom and power.

Jesus Christ knew better.  Even as the Son of God, He lived to honor and Glorify the Father.  The depth of His relationship with the Father taught Him that by honoring and glorifying the Father, the Father would in turn glorify the Son.  Or if the Son should find Himself being glorified; the only proper response was to, in turn, give glory to the Father.  If you and I could truly, completely see and understand, that by giving glory to the Father, we are not giving Him something He needs.  We are actually, empowering ourselves by forging a connection to the All Powerful, All Knowing, All Perfect Resource.  A God who knows that all creation glorifies Him and instead of wanting to hoard it all to Himself; wants to share it with His creation.  We can and will be glorified in  our Heavenly Father; through Jesus Christ His Son.

You and I have a choice.  Do we do as the world and claim all glory for ourselves?  Do we fool ourselves into thinking we have complete power and thus control over our lives?  Do we turn our backs on the offers of Help, Security, Joy and Love because of a selfish desire to keep all the glory for ourselves?

Or, do we humbly acknowledge the blessings of and give the appropriate credit to the One who has the true power to orchestrate all the pieces to the successes we have?  Do we receive the rest that comes from no longer taking responsibility for or relying solely/souly on ourselves but putting our trust totally in Him?

Our Most Gracious and Heavenly Father, we understand and declare that You are not in need of receiving Glory from us.  It is we, Your Creation whom receive blessings when we give You Glory.  Give to us a humble spirit, Blessed Father, that in our triumphs and victories we will shout praises to You and Glorify Your Most Holy Name.  Forgive us Most Merciful Father, when we fail to give to You the credit that You deserve.  That in giving Glory to You, we might also share in that Glory.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord.  Amen