“…That all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”
--1 Samuel 17:47
One of the most serious dangers that you and I face after a victory is failing to give God glory. In fact, this is the easiest and surest way to lose your next victory.
For example, the young shepherd David easily could have taken credit for killing Goliath, couldn’t he? After all, both the Philistine and Israelite armies witnessed the event.
But David didn’t take the credit because he had his priorities right. He said, “The battle is the Lord’s.” And let me tell you, if you’ve given the battle to God, then the victory is also his!
In contrast, let’s think about when the children of Israel did battle with Jericho. They marched around the city’s walls and when they shouted, the walls came tumbling down. Now, the Scripture says God specifically told them not to take any spoils from the victory.
Well, that didn’t stop a man named Achan. He took some of the spoils and hid it under his tent. As a result, in their next battle with a little place called Ai, the Israelites were horribly defeated.
You see, when we take the credit or the spoils of battle for ourselves, we set ourselves up for defeat!
Always give God the glory. The battle, the victory, and the spoils belong to him!
ALL THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Hebrews 4:1–3
Queen Victoria had nine children and forty-two grandchildren, so besides the responsibilities she had as monarch of England, there were many family duties as well. The story goes that there was one grandson about whom she was particularly concerned. He was notably loose with his money, constantly asking for advances and gifts to allow him to keep spending. As his birthday was approaching, he wrote the queen a letter hinting that a cash gift would be most appreciated. She responded not with a gift but with a letter filled with advice regarding the importance of self control and the dangers of extravagance. After a little while he wrote back, thanking her for the letter—and telling her he had sold it to a collector for five pounds!
The Bible often speaks of the importance and value of seeking counsel from others. “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). However we must realize that there is no value in the advice unless we put it into practice and do as we are counseled. There are times when we are reluctant to follow good advice we receive because it is simply not what we want to hear. Yet it is even more foolish to ignore good counsel than not to seek it in the first place. We need to do right regardless of whether it is easiest.
Today’s Growth Principle:
There is no benefit gained from receiving good advice unless we also follow it.
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