YOU DID NOT

When did you last take credit for something you didn't do?

Think hard.

Okay, so maybe you didn't try to pull off turning in the words from "War and Peace" as your own college essay...

But maybe you pat yourself on the back for raising such flawlessly behaved children.

And maybe you looked at your last paycheck and thought of how you earned every penny.

And maybe you think back to the last time God used you and think, "I really rocked that."

No, YOU did not.

I was reading in Joshua 24 today, when God's people were being reminded of what He had done on their behalf.

The I parts and the YOU DID NOT parts seemed to jump off the page.

I took your father Abraham, led him to Canaan, and gave Him many descendants.
I gave Isaac to Abraham, and Jacob and Esau to Isaac.
I assigned them their land.
I sent Moses and Aaron, and I brought my people out of their affliction in Egypt.
I parted the sea and protected you from the Egyptians who pursued you.
You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.
I brought you to your land.
Thought the Amorites fought against you, I gave them into your hands.
I destroyed them before you and I gave you possession of their land.
I would not listen to those chosen to curse you, so you ended up being blessed over and over again and I delivered you out of his hand.
I gave your enemies into your hands.
I sent the hornet ahead of you to drive them all out.
YOU DID NOT do it with your own sword and bow.
I gave you the land on which YOU DID NOT toil and cities YOU DID NOT build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive goves that YOU DID NOT plant.

HE DOES.

WE DO NOT.

So maybe that pride over our earnings should be "Lord, thank You for providing this job and strengthening my hands to work." And perhaps we need to get on our knees and thank Him for His mercies and the way He has graciously strengthened us to raise up our children. And maybe it's time to acknowledge that if good has come, it is because our good God has been at work in and through us, and in and through our circumstances.

Because He does.

We do not.