Wednesday, 6/18/14
A man I know hurt his knee recently and, according to him, it hasn’t regained it’s full strength. Even so, over the weekend he attended an event where he would be forced to do quite a bit of walking. When someone asked him how his knee was holding up, he replied, “Thanks to the knee brace I’m wearing, I’m doing just fine.” Probably, no one thought about it at the time or chose not to say anything in response, but one could have dared to remark, “Praise the knee brace!”
A favorite psalm of many starts with this well known phrase: I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Ps. 121:1-2) (BTW, it also is a favorite church chorus of mine.) The reason this bible truth is important is because it declares where our help really comes from. It comes from God! No verse is in the Bible by accident. The Lord knew in advance how easy it is for humans to attribute honor and credit to the wrong sources. We all know folks who give much more credit to others such as their spouses, parents, teachers, bosses, even their church, pastor, or religion, than they do to God. That should not be! I know that the man with the knee brace, if he had been more careful to respond, would have preferred to say something like, “The Lord is helping me, so I am doing just fine.” Of course, he can be thankful for the knee brace but not to the point where it robs God of the honor and praise He deserves. After all, everything we have or can do is because He helps us.
Neither am I suggesting that you stop being grateful or fail to show gratitude to those who help you along the way. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having some degree of reliance on others, and that includes your employer or anyone else that helps to bring some comfort, ease, joy, or even a sense of assurance to your life. Nevertheless, remember that all these people or things just play a part in the bigger scheme of things. All the resources we have in life emanate from our main source, our Heavenly Father. When we thank, honor, or praise others, lets not forget to always start with God.
Memory Verse for the week: (Ephesians 4:32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as, in Christ, God forgave you.
