Stealing Glory

God said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me. Make a public announcement: 'Anyone afraid, anyone who has any qualms at all, may leave Mount Gilead now and go home.'" Twenty-two companies headed for home. Ten companies were left. - Judges 7:2,3

Amazing that so many years ago, people were still in the business of stealing God's glory, isn't it? In this story, Gideon is called by God to go defeat Midian. But God wants to make sure that his army is so small that they couldn't possibly do it on their own. Only by making us small can God show he is large. Only when we are weak can he show his strength.

See, I do this kind of thing all the time. Something happens in my life that is so great, so powerful, I know it had to be God. Yet, I somehow manage to find a way to try and take credit for it. It's happening in my life even as we speak. In his book, Humility: True Greatness, CJ Mahaney explains that he has made a habit of, instead of just confessing a pride issue, saying, "In that moment, I was trying to steal God's glory." What a powerful statement that, when said out loud, sounds ridiculous. But it's really true fairly often, at least for me.

One of my favorite pastors and speakers, Francis Chan writes of ways to stave off pride. He says:
- Humbling comes when you stand before the One who knows everything about you
- Humbling comes when you envision Him as the potter and yourself as clay
- Humbling comes when you compare your age with God who is eternal
- Humbling comes when you remember He can take your life before you read this verse

Many people think being humble means thinking (or at least saying) you're not very good at things. Being humble just means that you recognize and understand that all the great gifts, talents, abilities, and passions you have come from God and from God alone. When you give Him credit, you can't help but be humble. And judging from the story of Gideon, that's what He wants from us.