OF MYSELF I WILL NOT GLORY

On this pilgrimage of life, as we journey from the cradle to the grave, our task as a Christian should be to glorify God.  Paul said, “…Of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities” (2 Corinthians 12:5).  Even in our sickness, we should glorify God.  I pray that through these meager words, that God will open our minds and touch our hearts.  I am praying the Lord will lead us from the dungeons of darkness and doubt unto the marvelous light of confidence and conquest.  There are no impossibilities with the Lord, for He can never fail. He stood by the golden gate of eternity and shouted His triumph, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18).  Even in the midst of trials and troubles, we are not to question, but glorify God.

So how do we turn a tragedy into a triumph? How do we turn every Calvary into an Easter? How do we turn a minus into a plus?  I believe it can be done, and suffering, sorrow, trouble and tragedy are the raw materials out of from which we, as believers, can weave a garment of praise for the glory of God.  The greatest opportunity you will ever have to glorify God will be in your hour of stress and storm.

God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God is working on a different thought level. At best, our understanding is fragmentary and finite. We can only see through a glass darkly.  We make mistakes and view life with a narrow vision, while God looks from a different vantage point.  He knows the end from the beginning.  In the very beginning, God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth.  It was corrupt and filled with violence.  

Do you know why? God said, “…Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It says in Proverbs 23:7, “For as he (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Isaiah 55:7 tells us, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts…” In Psalm 139:23, David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts….”  The apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that he was serving the Lord with all “humility of mind” (read Acts 20:19).  He told the church at Corinth to have “a willing mind” and “a ready mind.” He beseeched the brethren in Rome to present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but to be transformed by “the renewing of your mind” (read Romans 12:1-2). What was Paul saying?  “Get your mind out of the gutter!”  One look at our world and it is evident we have come a long way in many areas.  We can put Rovers on Mars to study if there are any signs of life.  At the same time we are killing innocent life here daily.  Danger stalks our land! Fear grips our heart! Satan battles for the minds of men and women.

Folks, we need to get back to seeing what Isaiah saw when he saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up …”  And when he did, he said, “woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Then when the Lord said, “…Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah had no problem responded, “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

 A great evangelist once asked, “Have we ceased to believe in the power of the Gospel?  Have we forgotten there is a power that can change the minds and the hearts of men?  There is a power that can make our enemies footstools. There is a power that can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.  There is a power that can turn harlots into missionaries.  There is a power that can turn cursing men into Gospel preachers.  There is a power that can open Red Seas.  There is a power that can furnish manna from on high.  There is a power that can confound the enemy on the battlefield.  There is a power that can feed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch.  That power is available to us. For He who has called us and sends us, has not, and will not leave us nor forsake us.” He promises that, as we go, there will be strength for the day, and courage for the battle.   

Heavenly Father, I have to pray just as Isaiah prayed, “Woe is me, for I am undone.  I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips.”  So LORD, when it comes to me, I WILL NOT GLORY in myself, or my talents, or my abilities, but I will glorify in You, even in my infirmities.  I praise You and exhalt You, because You and You alone are worthy!  In Jesus Name.