I played sports, I still play for fun and guess what, I still like to win. But self-love has reached an all-time high it seems in todays culture. Watch local high-school sports and you'll see for yourself. Students jumping around like they just won a gold medal at the Olympics. I've seen players strut and talk like their the best and congratulate themselves for scoring even though they are down by 20 points in the last few minutes of the game. I don't get it.
David, the writer of Psalm 20, probably wouldn't understand it either. In this Psalm you come away knowing one thing. God gets the glory. As you read through this Psalm you see that God is the one who is called on when David and his country are being attacked. God is seen here as the one who can offer support and help, who is asked to remember the sacrifices of his people. God is the one who is sung to upon victory. It is banners to God that are set up after victory is secured, not banners to David or any other. It is God who saves, and these people know it.
God's victory only gives David more trust and more hope that whenever there is a struggle God will come through. That David doesn't have to rely on his own ability or strength because God fights for him.
In verse 7 he contrasts this issues, "Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the Name of the Lord, our God."
Who gets the glory in your life? When you win that promotion or earn that raise who are you praising? Is it not God who gives you the victory? Is it not God who has provided you with the knowledge and ability you have?
What do you put your trust in? Your own smarts? Your own physical stature? Your possessions? Your training?
As believers in Jesus we should be like Jesus. When we face trouble we should call on God who is our ever present help. When the enemy comes against us we should seek refuge in God alone who is our protector and deliverer. When the victory is secured it is God who should get the glory and praise. And when He delivers us once again we should learn to trust Him more and more.
Some boast in their physical ability and some in their IQ, some boast in their vehicles or their title but we will boast in in the name of the Lord our God. It is His banner that we will wave when victory is secure so that the whole world will know who gets the glory, God alone.
1 comment:
I was just reading Luke 18:10-14! Pride is so dangerous, one of the devils favorite tools. It seems like we are often thinking that we are different than other people, even different than other believers and if we step back and look with God's eyes we are no different at all.
We so often try to show people how we are better, how we do things differently, when all we are doing is promoting ourselves, not Jesus. I went to a church like that for a while. They talked about how different they were, how friendly, how everyone was made to feel welcome. They did always have someone to say hello when I got there, but so did every where else I had ever been.
They were different? They didn't bug me at home, they did talk about God and they told me how great their church was. There was music and offering and communion. They had preachers who I liked to listen to, they were good at making me understand what they were talking about instead of talking over my head and I liked that. But they often spent more time talking about their church than God. They were really proud of their church they had planted. And on those weeks, I left feeling like I missed something.
Seems to me God had planted that church and their pride was misplaced. It wasn't supposed to be their church. It was supposed to be God's church. They sure liked to take credit and to give credit to each other instead of giving the credit to God.
As believers we are called to love God and love His people, but it's No wonder people get lost with us talking about how different we are. We are not different. We are sinners, who mess up all the time and even in that we have to be careful that we don't get prideful. I am so glad that Jesus took care of the sin of our pride and of being judgmental, too for that matter, because it would be a heavy wall between us and the love of God.
Post a Comment