Why do we want credit for what we have done?
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Jude 24-25 (ESV)
Why do we want credit for what we have done? I mean, why do we get angry if someone steals an idea or takes credit for something we did? We have this ownership that we take for something that we created. We desire credit and praise for what we have accomplished. Likewise, when someone has done something amazing, we seek to give them praise. When our team scores the winning touchdown or when our favorite actor wins an Oscar, we revel in their accomplishments. Why is that? We recognize greatness when we see it and it excites us.
This is the same way that we should view our relationship with God. He has done something extraordinary in our lives as believers. He not only saved us, but also keeps us from stumbling. He also presents us as blameless before God. Let that sink in. God, the holy and righteous one, presents us, sinful and fallen creatures, as holy and righteous. Is that not amazing? Much more, I would venture, than anything we would see on our TV screens. To him be the glory and majesty and dominion. Why? Because he deserves it! Christ came to this earth and died on a cross so that we may be presented as blameless before a holy and righteous God. Christ became sin even though he never sinned so that his righteousness could be placed upon us! As Paul Washer once said, we are counted and treated as if we were holy and righteous because Christ was counted and treated as if he were a sinner condemned by God.
We must remember that Christ died for us and we didn’t deserve it. We deserved to be condemned by God and not saved by Him. Therefore, He deserves the glory, majesty, dominion and authority for all time both now and forever. This week, let us give him all the Glory. Let us praise his name for the wondrous deeds He has done in our lives.