Bringing God Praise
November 6
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
John 15:8
It was Wednesday evening and the mid-week service at church was only a half hour away. Marilyn had planned to go straight to the church after shopping. But as she reentered her credit card’s PIN the machine’s display once again said ‘DECLINED’. I thought for sure I had activated this card. Now what do I do? The grocery store didn’t accept checks and all her money was in this single account. There wasn’t time enough to go home, come back, and make it to church on time. Searching her purse, Marilyn found fifteen dollars, thirteen short of the total.
As her seventy-six year-old mind struggled to come up with other options an attractive young woman suddenly stepped forward, “I’ll take care of it,” she said, swiping her card.
As the young woman turned away Marilyn said, “You must be a Christian.”
The young lady nodded, and they both moved to the bagging area where introductions were made. “Charlene,” she said, intentionally withholding her last name while extending her hand. Smiling, Marilyn promised to pay Charlene’s act of kindness forward, making a silent vow to be on the lookout for an opportunity to bring God glory by helping someone in need.
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The natural progression for a Christian’s life is one of bearing the fruit of good deeds. We are supposed to conduct ourselves in such a way that people realize our actions are the product of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is not something to be preferred; it should be the motivating factor that gets us out of bed each morning.
In every occasion we are given a choice; to serve ourselves or others. Church historian, Bernhard Loshe, wrote, “Since we authenticate God’s salvation by our lives and words, we can either impugn or enhance God’s reputation by bad or good examples.”
Being on the giving end of God’s blessing, as Charlene was, is one of the most fulfilling rewards we will ever experience. But the most important benefit of such action is that it brings God praise.
Prayer
“LORD, I want the life I live to bring You praise. Help me be the light that draws others to You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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