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Bits & Pieces (Weekend Edition)

Humble Casting – “But what if we didn’t have to wait until we are reminded to start that process? What if a moment of crisis didn’t have to awaken that sense of dependence? What if, instead of waiting in our false sense of power, we instead made it our practice to preemptively cast our cares upon the Lord?” (H/T)

The Audacity of Imitation – “Originality is by far the more the accepted fashion of the day. And the pressure to be original—to be different than, better than, more than—is both constant and intense. It is the modern way of distinguishing oneself after all, whether applying for college or making a pithy tweet. From impressions to possessions to thoughts, being original seems to be everything.” Except for the Christian, our lives should be a life of imitation.

The Antidote to Materialism – “What is the antidote to materialism?  Generosity.  Easily sharing the things we have, and giving money and possessions away reminds us that they are temporal and God-given.” (H/T)

Are You Worried About Your Daily Bread? – “Your heavenly Father did not spare his own Son but gave him up for you. After all that will he now withhold something that you need (Rom. 8:32)? Read God’s word to remind yourself what God is like. He is good! Think on these things.”

When Jesus Makes You Wait in Pain – “Before we know what Jesus is doing, circumstances can look all wrong. And we are tempted to interpret God’s apparent inaction as unloving, when in fact God is loving us in the most profound way he possibly can..”

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Growth

Where Credit Is Due

We all probably know people who can’t take a compliment. You say something nice to them and they immediately brush it aside. Any positive observation about their behavior or their character is attributed to something else. Instead of a receiving a “thank you” when a kind word is spoken, they are apt to turn it around and compliment you in return.

While this self-deprecating behavior may seem godly and right, we can observe from Scripture an even better way to respond. Namely, when we receive a compliment we should recognize the commendable quality that has been observed in us is not due to our own inclinations. Instead, like any good thing, it comes from the Father above (James 1:17). Therefore it is He, and not us, that deserve the praise.

Daniel provides a wonderful example of this behavior. In Daniel 2, the king has had a dream that no one can interpret. Daniel prays that God would reveal the mystery of the dream to him and graciously, God does just that. (It is worthwhile noting that Daniel did not keep this prayer request to himself but he shared it with friends. Perhaps that is a post for another time.) When he goes to the king to interpret the dream Daniel had every opportunity to take credit for revealing what the king was desperate to know. Instead, he repeatedly and consistently gives God the acclaim. He realizes that God did not reveal the meaning of the dream to him so that Daniel would look good. Instead, God did so in order that Daniel may be a witness for Him and glorify Him in the land. The amazing thing is, when the king heard the interpretation and listened to Whom Daniel gave credit to, he also began to praise the Lord.

We may look at this story and think that it is obvious that God deserved the recognition; after all, He answered a specific request that Daniel and his friends made. However, what we should be careful to observe is that Daniel didn’t simply praise God privately for granting his petition. In a situation where he would have been honored and exalted for the work that he had done, he purposefully pointed the attention away from him and onto God. Before there was even the opportunity for him to take the recognition, he made sure that credit was given to the One to whom it was due.

Similarly, we would do well to give God praise for how He uses us for His purposes. Just like Daniel, this attribution shouldn’t be reserved for moments of quiet contemplation, but it should infiltrate even the very act for which we may receive commendation. In doing so we aren’t simply brushing aside any compliment, we are turning people’s attention away from us and what we did and onto the One who enables us to accomplish anything (see John 15:5). We are giving credit where it is due and just like Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, our hope should be that as a result, other people will also praise our King.

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