Day 83: Not Mine, But God’s
Read: Romans 16:25-27
Steele Johnson is a professional swimmer. In 2016, He went to the Summer Olympics in Rio. There, he won the silver medal for men’s ten-meter synchronized platform diving competition. He has been diving since he was seven years old and has won multiple national titles at both the junior and college level. He joined the national team at the young age of ten!
When he was only twelve years, seven years before the Rio Olympics, he endured a nearly fatal diving accident. While attempting a reverse 31⁄2 somersault in the tuck position, he struck his head on the concrete platform. He ripped his scalp in half and then fell motionless 33 feet into the pool. Miraculously, he overcame his injury and trained even harder. Now he is an Olympic medalist.
Steele could have taken all of the credit for his major accomplishment, but after he won his silver medal, he told reporters that his identity is in Christ, not his Olympic performance. He pushed himself in order to give God the glory. Shortly before the 2016 Olympic games, Steele said: “I realized I’m not doing all this exercise for my own Olympic glory, but I was doing it so that I could glorify God through it.”
At the very end of Romans, Paul gives all of the glory to God. Verse 27 states, “to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Paul was an incredible man who did a lot of work to bring the story and hope of Jesus to many nations. He transformed many lives and did many great things to help others. But Paul knew though that he would be nothing without Christ. He finishes his letter to the Roman church by pointing to the true force behind his work. He gives all the glory to God.
Our glory and identity rests in Jesus Christ. We are nothing without him. God gives us our breath, our hands, our feet, our strengths, our talents, He has given us everything that we are. All that we do should be in order to glorify God. He has done everything for us. What we accomplished, it is through Him.
In Verse 25, Paul declared that it was God who strengthens him to spread the Gospel of Jesus. He is the one who established and created us. All that we are is because of the Lord’s grace and blessings. We are called to rightfully give any glory we receive to God. No matter where life takes us or what we are doing, as followers of Christ we need to be doing it for the glory of God. Whether we are washing dishes, owning a business, helping a patient, cutting hair, practicing law, taking a test, serving in the military, etc. It should all be to glorify the one and only true God.
Are you doing everything to glorify God? Are there aspects of your life that are not glorifying God that you need to eliminate? Write down three things you can do this week to bring glory to God.