Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.”

God is not some petulant, childish being who doesn’t want to share, He is the only Creator, the only Savior, and if we lose sight of that we are in deep trouble. He is not saying this because He wants all the glory the way a selfish child wants all the cookies, but because we need to understand who He is for our own good. In Western countries we aren’t emotionally connected to the idea of people worshiping “carved statues,” which is the literal expression here. However, we are very prone to give Man credit that belongs only to God. That is the major push of atheism, and what it leads to is very literally a dead end, because the end result of rejecting God is eternal death and destruction. Conversely, the better we understand that we are totally dependent on God’s gracious provision, the more open we are to the flow of that provision to us and through us. Giving God the glory that is His is the best of good ideas! Jesus was very clear when He told His disciples in the Upper Room, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) The devil wants glory for himself, but failing that, he wants to deny glory to God. That’s why prominent figures such as athletes are attacked when they actively give glory to God for their accomplishments. Actually, prominent figures are worth emulating precisely to the degree that they do give glory to God.

I was raised by a father who was greatly gifted and accomplished, but I can’t remember his ever “hogging the glory.” I don’t remember specific words to the effect from him, but I think I’ve always been aware that he recognized his dependence on God and sought to give God the glory that was His. I’m very grateful for that example. I have not always been consistent in following it! Intellectual pride has been a snare for me most of my life, the temptation to take credit for what has been given to me. I’ve never thought that carved statues were worthy of worship, but I’ve not always given God the praise and worship that only He is due. He continues to do good things around, for, and through me, and I must be active in giving Him all the glory. It is when I keep the focus on Him that I get out of the way so that He is free to do the very things that I so desire to happen.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the good things You’ve been doing even the past few days, and for the baptism we have this morning. I pray that the focus would be on You indeed, drawing especially the daughters of the man being baptized to recognize their own need for salvation and that Jesus is the only Savior. I pray that this would establish generations of disciples in that family, for the blessing of all involved and as always, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!