26) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world
to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty;
28) And base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30) But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.
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I |
t is very difficult for mankind to give
glory to the Lord because he seeks so much glory for himself. But as much as we
hunger for recognition, it often takes a long time for man to learn (if he ever
learns at all) that as long as one works to make himself
important he will never be recognized by God as such.
Primarily, Man seeks recognition for
himself because he feels he is "owed" something. There is nothing any
man could ever have done to deserve or "merit" salvation but Jesus.
It is He who shed blood for our sins and made a means by which we can obtain
eternal life. Therefore, He and He, alone, is deserving of glory.
Scripture tells us that few considered
"mighty" or "noble" are called. Why is it as if it seems
that few of "renown" are found in the Church? The answer hinges on
what Man does, not God. You see, if one relies on his own ability, education or
anything else, the chances of him being led by the Lord are slim to none. It is
not a part of this type of person to give anyone other than himself,
recognition.
These of us who are saved are not
living by the same rules nor for the same reason(s) as
the world. This is not necessarily pleasing to the World, which encourages one
to take credit for whatever is done and looks at "glory(ing) in the Lord" as "false modesty," at
best. All that the world esteems is based on and seeks glory in worldly wisdom,
but we are counseled that "...the fear (reverence) of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom." Make no mistake: God has not refused to save the
"worldly-wise," but they must be willing to give up that wisdom to
serve the Lord.
For many years, the apostolic-holiness
church was thought to be a "last chance" refuge for the ignorant and
uneducated. But, what does God really do? He does just as He says He
will by confounding the wise by taking those without "formal"
education, saving them and giving them His wisdom.
Often, if not reminded by the Lord, we
have a tendency to forget how we know what we know. Therefore, the wise God
Whom we serve reminds us that it is because of Him and Him, alone that we understand
what we understand. We really should not need to be reminded that if not for
Him, we would know nothing. How can one with this testimony ever feel justified
in self-importance? This acknowledgment is what keeps the sincere man humble.
Man is terribly confused about from
what God takes glory. As opposed to glorying in sin, He glories in
righteousness. Contrary to being glorified in sickness, He receives
glorification in healing.
The glory for the life lived because of
salvation is God's, alone. We can live that life only because of Jesus—because
He is salvation. No matter how successful any self-help program, it is
destined to be temporary because it is only through the Lord that Man can
overcome His sin. He calls the weak to eliminate their excuses, for if one is
weak, knows and acknowledges he is weak, he also knows that He must
depend on God.
We must be careful of accepting things
from God and then forgetting to give Him praise. What He had done is already
worth all we have to give, so all that we can give in exchange for more—is more
praise.
Others will be able to take
"glory in the Lord" only as we show it. It is that
change-of-life accompanying salvation that prompts one's "buddies" to
question why you haven't been "hangin'
out." These are opportunities to witness that you new buddy is
Jesus.
The Lord shines in our hearts that we
might have joy. It is His glory that brings joy, so why live for day-to-day joy
when one could have eternal joy?
You can never go wrong by complimenting
God, for the more we tell Him how great He is—the more He will bless us. But
rest assured, whether we give the glory to God or not, when it's all
over, no one will get it but Him. Whether we give Him praise or
not, that will ultimately be His.
You know, He really is "all that"—for
who else but Him could be "... his own right arm?"