Glory Stealers

It was one of the first Sundays of the new year.

Twice I showed my limited humanity, my weakness. One of those times I spent 15 minutes looking for my iPhone, including crawling on the floor while pinging it with my Apple Watch. I could hear it, and brilliantly deduced it must have fallen in a hidden compartment of the old desk in the church copy room. Then one of our deacons chuckled and said, “It’s gotta be in your pocket.”

It was. The other pocket.

Weakness.

Then I was sitting around the table with friends before a rehearsal. I told a story on myself. I can’t remember the story now, less than 24 hours later. I do remember my sweet wife saying something like, “you don’t have to share stories that make yourself look bad.”

And she’s right. I don’t have to.

But I think I should.

And, quite honestly, I think you should too.

You see, as leaders we want to be a part of something powerful. That’s God-ingrained; I’m sure of it. But we also want to make something powerful happen. That’s the enemy; I’m sure of that, too.

In our weakness God is made strong.

And in our strength, the glory of God is stolen.

Yes, I said stolen.

I know this because I do it all the time. I take credit for what God does. I steal His glory.

If I didn’t think you did the same, I wouldn't be so bold with my confession. 

Aren't you glad Paul shared the Father’s answer to prayer with us?

“My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Seems to me only one of us gets to be powerful—Christ or me. He won’t step on my desire to act in my power, frail and fleeting as it may be.

I want the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to course through my veins and do the things that matter. Yet I settle for the power that I can wrestle up from education and hard work.

"I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raise him from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10) Yet I settle for knowing about Christ and experiencing the power of the gifts more than the giver.

Maybe you do too.

If so, let’s resolve to do better at mutual abiding: Christ in me. Me in Christ.

Christ in you. You in Christ.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20)