As we begin 2024, it’s a good time to take stock of our attitudes toward God and whether we are giving Him the honor and glory He deserves. This fourth devotion helps us evaluate whether we give God the glory He is due:

IN WORD Have you ever seen someone take credit for something you’ve done? If so, you can relate to God. He sees us do it all the time. When someone is sick, we pray. When God heals, we give credit to the medical care our friend has received, or to natural healing processes. Both may have played a significant part, but if they are all that’s needed, why did we pray? No intervention of God was needed if healing could have been obtained through less than supernatural means. Or we pray for a job. When God gives it, we credit our good fortune, our résumé, or our connections, never acknowledging publicly the God behind them all.
In our age of political correctness, we do not attribute successes to God’s power. We know that many will not share our faith. Inwardly, we give quiet thanks. Outwardly, we let the misconception lie. We keep our speech God-free. Meanwhile, the Giver of all good things is silent. Why do our words not give Him the glory due His name? Why do we not verbally credit Him with every blessing? Perhaps we don’t want to sound overly pious. Perhaps we’ve noticed how obnoxious our society perceives people who constantly speak of God. We’ve let our culture intimidate us into never mentioning His name. In many of our circumstances, He remains unglorified.
IN DEED One of God’s purposes behind His great works, aside from the simple fact that He loves us, is His zeal for the glory of His name. When we credit Him for what He has done, we are aligning ourselves with the zeal of the Lord Himself. We are fulfilling our created purpose: to glorify Him. Have you subverted God’s purpose in your blessings by not acknowledging Him as the source? Repent from that and ascribe to Him the glory due His name. As a result, the Giver of all good things will be even more ready to give to you. “Men . . . praise God in such a manner that He scarcely obtains the tenth part of His due.” – John Calvin (“Walking with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

Isaiah 40 – 45 is a rebuke of Israel when they chose not to acknowledge the LORD, and instead, sought their own way. As their leaders failed them, the prophet Isaiah reminded them that God Himself would intervene. Take some time to read these chapters this week and ask the Holy Spirit to use them to help you reflect on whether you are giving God the credit He is due, then seek the Lord’s forgiveness and favor to have a right attitude as we continue our journey into 2024. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam