0331. An Honor Wrongly Placed

An Honor Wrongly Placed

"All the people ran together unto them (Peter and John) in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering" (Act_3:11).

1. God works through human instrumentality. It was Peter and John who stood before the lame man; it was they who bade him arise and walk; it was their hand which was stretched forth to encourage him.

God uses means. The vine needs a branch on which to hang its luscious fruit. For this cause the Holy Spirit beseeches us to "present ourselves to God," or, to yield our members as "the instruments of righteousness unto God."

2. Whereas God uses instrumentalities, it is God Who does the work. If God is dependent on us, we are far more dependent on God. "Apart from Me ye can do nothing," said Christ. God could have chosen another channel through which to do His work, but the believer is helpless apart from God.

3. People are too willing to give man the glory for what is, seemingly, his own achievement. The multitude would have honored Peter and John. Some of us, to-day, would greatly delight to be so honored. However, God has given us the warning: "Let no man glory in men," and again, "let no man glory in the flesh." How slow we are to refuse the reputation and earthly glorying that men would heap upon us. Beware!

4. Peter quickly rebuked the people and said: "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?"

The Apostles quickly seek to turn their eyes away from themselves. Alas, how many of us fail the Lord just here. We glory in fastening eyes upon ourselves; we receive honor from men; we bear titles, and marks of distinction; we love to stand in the market places and to be called of men, "Rabbi," "chieftain;" we love to read our names in the papers and to have the record even somewhat "slushy" in its praises of our marvelous gifts and powers. The words, "a great orator," or "wonderful in versatility," or, "a deep thinker" or, a most "fluent speaker," all read well and sound well to us. God pity and forgive us for our foolish pride. When we learn that it is not our power, or our holiness, or our anything else that does things for God, we will have gone a long way toward getting where God can use us.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR