Acts 3:11-20 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
As I was reading through this passage, I can’t help but see how Peter has grown in his walk with God when he started deflecting the glory to himself and pointing people to Jesus. I think this is where a lot of people miss the mark and that includes me.
When something amazing happens whether in our ministry or career and we start hearing the praises of men, we tend to bask in the glory as if it was because of us and not because of what Christ did and is doing through us.
12Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.
If we start believing that it is our power or our own godliness then we negate the power of the gospel message and what Christ did for us.
If you want to guarantee that your life will be a tragedy then let you be the hero of your own story.
GK Chesterton in his book Orthodoxy wrote, “Oh how much larger our life will be if we become smaller in it.”
The Gospel means Jesus+ Nothing = Everything. Even as we pray, “God increase and I decrease” or “All of you Lord and less of me”, I do hope that I could get to the point where I could pray, “God, all of you, none of me.”
Deflect, you don’t deserve the glory, God does!!!