IS IT JUST ME?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my
hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember
the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to
produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He
swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
(Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

MEDITATION:
We are living in a “me” culture these days.
In sports we see players solicit cheers from the fans,
rather than being grateful that they made a good play.
It’s as if they are saying,
    “Forget about the rest of the team, look at what I did!”

In football, a running back breaks through the line and runs
for a touchdown, then dances in the end zone. Did some of his
teammates block to open a hole for him to run through? In
basketball, a player slam dunks the basketball and beats his
chest. Did one of his teammates set a ‘pick’, or pass him the ball?

We could identify this “me” attitude in many other areas as well,
but the question is, “How was I able to do the things I did?”
We may say that it was because we practiced with tenacity and
dedication. We could say it is because we studied and worked
hard. These could be true, but where did we get the natural
ability to work on improving through practice or education?

Without question, the world has conditioned us to ignore or
discount any involvement of God in our talents or abilities.
But the truth is, God created every individual, so He is the
Provider of our skills and talents.

In Deuteronomy, we are reminded of the source of our abilities.
Why does God give some better skills than others? We don’t
know, but when we read His Word, we discover that,
    “From everyone who has been given much, much will be
     demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with
     much, much more will be asked.”
     (Luke 12:48)

What can we learn from this? God has plans for every individual,
and even though we may not understand His plans, we should
remember and be grateful that our successes in any area of our
lives, are a result of what He has given us.

ACTION:
In what areas of your life have you been successful?
Did you attribute everything to yourself, or to your Creator?
When we are successful we will most likely receive accolades
from others, and that’s not a bad thing, but we should always
acknowledge the real source of our success.
    For you created my inmost being; you
    knit me together in my mother’s womb.
    (Psalm 139:13)

We should adopt Philippians 4:13 as our own credo so
that we will always be reminded of what God has given us.
    I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
    (Philippians 4:13)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I am nothing without You. Thank You
for all You have given me, and help me to always remember
that You are the source of everything good in my life. Teach
me to use the gifts and talents You have given me to bring
praise and honor to You, and to point others to Your Son,
Jesus. When I have successes, remind me that it is because
of what You have given me, and when I have failures, remind
me of Your love and how I can depend on You for encouragement.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.com