In our lives who has the stage? For me, I write for one and one alone,Jesus Christ. We all have gifts, we all have blessings from our Savior, but in those who are we giving the stage to? Are we wanting ourselves to shine, or are we allowing Christ to take the stage and shine before us? It is a question we should ask ourselves everyday. The gifts that He gives freely, He too can take them away when we allow ourselves to shine forth. When we are wanting to be on the stage to be seen, we are not allowing Christ to shine in all His glory. Whether you are a football player, a baseball player, a worker in your church, living on the mission field, a singer, a writer, and yes a preacher, we must hide behind the cross and allow Christ to shine forth before us, giving Him glory and praise. It doesn't matter if I ever see my name in lights, on a book cover, or stand before others to speak, I never want to get in His way, I want Him to shine before me. I am only an instrument for Him to use. We can struggle with pride, we can struggle with being accepted, we can struggle with wanting the spot light for our hard work. We all have struggles, and we all can fall into the sin of wanting credit for what our life brings. But whatever our life brings forth is because of the gifts, the grace and mercy Christ has given us. A football player on the field isn't able to throw that ball all the way down the field for a goal on his own, that gift came straight from Christ. All in us, all the good is from God, it has nothing to do with us. We can allow our ambitions to get in the way of God's will and His purpose. We can begin to try to out shine Him if we are not remaining focused totally on Him. For my family to have the struggles we are facing right now with my husband being out of work, we know God is taking care of us. Whether we have alot or a little we know it all comes from God. When others are blessed by what we do, we need to stand back and give that glory to God, not us. Pride is an ugly thing that can come upon us when Christ is working through us. There is a time to share, and a time to be quiet before God and allow Him to speak to our hearts. Remember your children coming home from school with wonder things they made? Remember where you put them? You placed them on the fridge for all to see. What are we placing on the fridge before God? Is it things we are taking pride in, or is to show all who God is? Are we looking at that award and thinking,"Wow, look what I did" or are we looking at that award humbly before God and saying,"Wow, look what God has done?" Today set your gifts at God's feet, allow Him to bless them, and give Him the stage, let Him shine in your life, and may we stay behind the scenes letting Him be infront gaining all the glory.
