February 2, 2006

 

So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. Now it happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said:

 

“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

 

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they has ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward. --1 Samuel 18:5-9

 

The second “be-attitude” we can learn from the life of David is to give God all the glory He deserves. When David returned home from battle, the women began to give praise to men, instead of God: Saul his thousands; David his ten thousands. It really wasn’t David who killed the giant Goliath. David was certainly a man of faith, but he was simply the man God used.

 

First Samuel 17:47 says, “Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” Therefore, because the battle is the Lord’s and because God always gives the victory through Jesus, when God blesses us, we are to give God the glory.

 

Sometimes when God moves in the life of a believer and we are witness to that, we have a tendency to say: “Look at what so and so did. Look at what the pastor and staff did. Look at what this faithful church member did.” Yet God said, “I will not share My glory with another!” The way to lose the next victory in your life is to not give glory to God for the victory that He’s already given you (see Joshua 6).

 

When we take the glory that belongs to God and the spoils of His victory, then we set ourselves up for defeat. While it is only right to give honor to whom honor is due, we must remember the One who is behind it all. Never substitute the praises of God for the praise of man. Always take the praise and blessing we receive and lay it at the feet of Jesus where it belongs.

 

BE CAREFUL NOT TO STEAL FROM GOD THE GLORY THAT IS RIGHTFULLY HIS!