Verse of the day: Genesis
40:8 And they said to him, “We
each have had a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations
belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
If
we watch Joseph’s interactions with others closely, we will see that he does
his best to lift up God in his life with every opportunity. Here, Joseph is
presented with the opportunity to be of service to the butler and baker who
have been thrown into prison by Pharaoh. They both have dreams for which they
desire to have interpreted. Joseph offers himself, but note his words, “Do not
interpretations belong to God?” How often I have seen servants of God take
credit for the work that God is doing through them. Rather than give God the
praise, too many of God’s people have taken glory that belongs to God for
themselves. The talents and abilities we possess were given to us by God, and
therefore whatever we accomplish that is of any heavenly value and significance
is not for our own glory and pat on the back. John the Baptist had the right
attitude when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Joseph
was not interested in seeking glory for himself. Even while living out a
sentence that was unfairly imposed on him, he did not get bitter against God,
and sought every opportunity to glorify God in the midst of these trying
circumstances. For us, as born again believers, when we seek the praises of
men, we forfeit the rewards God has for us (Matthew 6:1-4). Any good that we do,
as a result of proving our faith in God, should always be for His glory. In
Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.” The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:14, “As
for me, may I never boast about anything except the Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” He also wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:31, ‘Therefore, as the Scriptures
say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”’ 2 Corinthians 10;17
says, “But he that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” Regardless of how
talented we are, or how much good we do, if God is not the One to whom we point
people to, then our works are in vain, and not worthy of any heavenly reward. The
reality is that when we preach a “good message” or teach a “good lesson” or do
a great job singing a song, or do anything else the Lord give us the
opportunity to do in serving Him, people will praise us for doing it. However,
I pray that we not mimic the attitude of King Nebuchadnezzar when that happens;
as he proclaimed in Daniel 4:30, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself
have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of
my majesty?” Many of us would say, “God forbid!” Yet, sadly, this is what I
often see amongst God’s people. King Nebuchadnezzar paid a dear price for
robbing God of His glory (Daniel 4), and we will not escape the loss of reward
if we rob God of the glory that is due Him. As ambassadors of Jesus our goal in
life is to glorify God with the way we live, and the way we use the talents and
abilities He has given us. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, “Let us hear the
conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
The bottom line is that God knows what is in our hearts when we serve Him. He
knows if our motivation in doing what we do is to get glory for ourselves, or
bring glory to His Name; and someday the truth will come to light when we stand
before Him to receive the rewards for the work we do in His Name in this
lifetime.
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