Humbled Through His Use

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.-Psalm 139:13,14

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?-1 Corinthians 4:7

It’s so easy to become prideful when you make something. When I write a book, a blog, a sermon, or when my wife and I have a child – something in me often desires to take the credit. The inner, subconscious dialogue goes something like, “Wow look at how beautiful your son is. Nice work, Mark. I mean, I did technically make him after all. Wow . . . my wife and I made a human being together!” Or did we . . . ?

In once sense we did, but in a greater sense we didn’t. According to Psalm 139 God intimately and individually made each one of us. So my wife and I did not make a child, but God made a child through us.

This is the case in everything we make other than sin. James 1:16-17 states, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights . . . .” Acts 17:25 states, “And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”

Therefore, the proper response when we “make” something good should not be pride but rather humble adoration for the One who made this good thing through us. If we could only believe this simple but stunning truth, we would not only be more humble but more powerful too.

For God gives spiritual power to those who give him all the glory. This does not mean the way to power is to glorify God. In that scenario the motive is power rather than glorifying God. But when our heart’s true motive is to glorify God, we become powerful because God will be bless our pursuit of pleasing him.

And the only way we are going to give him all the glory is if we honestly believe he deserves it. If you believe the Bible, you have to come to the conclusion that he does deserve all the glory because he alone is responsible for all the good. If you are reading this, it means you are breathing, and if you are breathing, it’s because God gave you the breath to do so. Humans are utterly dependent upon God, and when a human humbly submits to this truth, God empowers that person for Kingdom purposes.

Everything good comes from him. If you’re not humbled by this fact then you probably just don’t believe it. “Lord, help us believe you really deserve the credit for everything good! Our great privilege and joy in life is to be used by you to glorify you. Even for the good we do you deserve the praise.”