Always give God the glory

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!” 1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT

In an article titled “‘I don’t want this to end’: runner hits Melbourne after covering length of Australia in 150 consecutive marathons” published by The Guardian on Sunday, the following was reported: Months after starting out from the tip of Cape York, Erchana Murray-Bartlett is set to complete her 150th consecutive daily marathon in Melbourne on Monday, finishing a record-breaking journey through Australia’s eastern states. Murray-Bartlett set out in August to run more than 6,200km, raising money for the Wilderness Society and awareness of Australia’s extinction crisis.. Her journey has taken her along beaches, dirt roads and through Victoria’s high country, interspersed with visits to schools and conservation groups. To date, the runner has raised more than $98,000… The 32-year-old, who spoke breezily on the phone while finishing one of her daily marathons, said: “I’m so proud of what my body has been able to achieve. I’m so proud of the money we’ve raised.”

And while this was most definitely a massive achievement, I was saddened by the missed opportunity to acknowledge the One that gave her the ability to do it. You see, every ability you and I possess and every set of circumstances that make it possible to do anything comes from God and God alone. Mighty King David who had wealth beyond measure clearly understood this and after giving from his own stores of silver and gold for the construction of God's house said, "Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!" C.S. Lewis said it this way... "Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God.” Which means that if you and I devoted every moment of our whole lives exclusively to God’s service, we couldn't give Him anything that wasn’t His own already.

So whatever it is that your hands do or whatever they might possess, give God the glory for it my friend, and be generous knowing that you are only giving back what God has given you. You'll not only be fulfilling the command to acknowledge the Lord as the Giver of all good things but you’ll be inspiring others to do the same. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that everything we have, everything we are, and everything we have the ability to do comes from You. Cause our hearts to be so grateful Lord that our response would always be to say, "To God be the glory." Help us to never miss an opportunity to turn the eyes of those watching from us to You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!