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Jesus had just healed the sick people that were brought to Him, and then we read:
So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:31)
Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He told His followers that they would do the same things He had done, including preaching the Gospel and healing the sick. The focal point is still to be the same as it was while Jesus was on earth: “They glorified God.”
We would laugh if an ax boasted about the tree he had cut down. We all know that the power came from the lumberjack.
It was the lumberjack who chose the ax, sharpened the ax, and skillfully used the ax to chop down the large tree. The felled tree is a testament to the lumberjack’s strength.
In the same way, God may use one of us as His instrument to display His power. If the blind receive their sight, the lame can walk, and the lost find Jesus as their Savior, we would laugh if the one who prayed or preached boasted about his ability that brought about these miracles.
These changed lives are a testament to the power and wisdom that flows from God. The one who prays or preaches is merely the instrument that was used by Him. God may pick up that person again and again, or He may lean him against the wall after one use. God determines the best instrument to use for His glory.
In fact, God Himself says, “Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it?” (Isaiah 10:15). And, “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Be careful if you find yourself thinking, “Look what I have done,” and let your heart quickly change that to, “Look what my merciful God has been please to do through Me!”
It’s not about our glory, is all about God’s glory!
(Check out what A.W. Tozer said about a Christian neither boasting nor belittling.)
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Craig T. Owens 