The Glory Belongs to Him

Isaiah 42:8

 

8I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.

 

God gave Isaiah a description of what Jesus would do when He came to earth. In that, God made it clear that NO ONE is above Him. NO ONE else can have His place. And certainly, NO ONE else is to take His glory and praise. When you thank someone, are you thanking God for them and for moving on your behalf through them? Are you giving God the glory that He is due? The apostle James noted that every good and perfect gift is from the Lord. So no matter what earthly vessel handed it over, it is God who released it to you. Therefore, keep the praise in perspective. Understanding that what you have is because God blessed you not because you did it is essential. If you were able to do by your own hand, you would've had it long ago. When you start praising and worshipping things more than you worship and praise the God who gave them to you, you have resulted in idolatry. When you prefer to do the will of people rather than the will of God, then those people have become lord over your life and you have attempted to replace God with them, which means you have resulted in idolatry. When you are praising images which could be anything you are putting your hope in rather than God, you have resulted in idol worship. It is a slippery slope and easy to do. But when you become aware of it, sincerely confessing it to God and asking for His forgiveness and turning away from the behavior is essential. When you decide that something or someone is more important than giving God His glory and praise, God can either hand you over to it and really let it be your god for a time or He can simply remove it.