Credit, Where Credit Is Due

You have probably heard the saying, "Be careful when you point because you have three fingers pointing back at you." This speaks to humanity's unquenchable desire to blame. This shifting of responsibility has been around ever since The Fall in the Garden of Eden. So, what naturally flows from this nature is to assign credit incorrectly.

Stone altars were erected to remember the place at which God intervened. In and of itself, the memorial is honorable, but the challenge is to not get caught up in the place, but do get caught up in God's intervening grace.

Another incorrect assignment of credit can take the form of a thing. The Hebrew people created a golden calf as an image to worship while Moses took to long to speak with God. Evidently an invisible deity was hard to accept by these liberated Hebrew people even after Yahweh split the Red Sea and drowned their enemies in it. They must have wanted a tactile object for worship. But they still misplaced their credit in a thing rather than God.

Later, the scene turns to the group of Jesus, Peter, James and John - The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13). With Peter droning on and on about building three booths - one for Elijah, Moses, and Jesus - Father God interrupts Peter to set the record straight about who should be worshiped.

"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'" (Matthew 17:5)

This declaration has the ingredients of the Baptism of Jesus with one extra bit of information that is followed by an exclamation point - "Listen to Him!" 

In this one sentence I can hear Father God raising His voice and emphasizing the word "Him", saying, Of all the people that have been born on earth and followed my will - this one here, my very own Son, whom I love and am well pleased - should be listened to!

Accolades are nice. Awards and rewards have their place in our culture and society. However, when placing anything next to Jesus, everything should fall away and He receive all glory. In fact, all credit for the ability to attain anything should go to The Creator and Sustainer of all - Christ Jesus.

One last example of improper credit was John kneeling before an angel and worshipping this being. John makes this mistake twice - Revelation 19:10 and 22:9. The angel was quick to reprimand and correct John's mistake.

"At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.'” (Rev. 19:10)

"But he said to me, 'Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!'” (Rev. 22:9)

Worship is a key ingredient in bestowing credit to God. Worship goes beyond our grateful thanks, although that is accepted by The Lord. Worship moves us into acknowledging and declaring - we could not have lived, made it or done anything without Him in our lives. Worship helps accurately and wholeheartedly give credit where credit is due - unto God. 

An excellent Biblical example of this was Jesus catching up to the disciples while they were in their boat and in rough conditions. After Jesus saves Peter from drowning, they both board the boat - 

"And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'” (Matt. 14:22-23)

The entire collection of disciples on the boat gave all the credit for the storm leaving to the proper person - Jesus. They didn't carve a golden boat and worship it. They did not errect a buoy to memorialize the place. They simply worshipped the person from whom the blessing flowed. How many of us whether publicly, privately, within our family, circle of friends or under our breath at the very moment God acts administer Credit, Where Credit Is Due?