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"James M. Hatch, in "God's Blueprint for Biblical Parenting" writes:
'Modern psychology has finally come to the conclusion that the great
driving force of all human behaviour is needs. A child is born with
needs; to be loved, to be accepted, to be thought important. He has got
to have it or he won't live!'
So it is taught, that we must have our own needs met first before
anything else. This is humanistic, putting man first, putting man's
needs first. Much preaching today is man-centered and need-centered; not
God-centered or God's glory being first." - THE KINGDOM CULT OF SELF
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer - the Model Prayer for all Christians - emphasizes
the highest and ultimate end in all of our prayers - God's glory.
Matthew 6:9-13 - This particular prayer begins with "Hallowed Be Thy
Name" and concludes with "For Thine Is The Kingdom, and the Power, and
the Glory, for ever. Amen." Sandwiched between these statements
acknowledging God as worthy of all praise is a prayer concerning the
needs of man - "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread."
If man's needs were as significant as modern psychology attests, then
God would have placed the providing of all of man's needs at the top of
this model prayer. Instead, it is rightfully placed in the center for its
position declares unto all that it is -
Romans 11:36 - "...of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things:
to Whom be glory for ever. Amen."
The Scriptures do not emphasize man's needs as much as they emphasize
the source from whence all his needs are to be met.
James 1:17 tells us - "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Everything comes from God above. Everything lives by His power, and
everything is brought into existence for His glory. Man is never to be
placed first above all. He is never to be at the center. God at all
times is to be at the center of our lives, our marriages, our homes, our
jobs, our careers, our preaching, our teaching, our prayers, etc. His glory
is to always and evermore be the main cause and incentive for all that we
say and do. We must be very careful that we never dare to attribute our
successes to our own power and might.
The Israelites were forbidden to take any glory unto themselves -
Deuteronomy 8:17 - "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might
of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth."
They were forbidden to attribute their accomplishments to themselves -
Deuteronomy 9:4 - "Speak not Thou in Thine heart, after that the Lord
thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness
the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land..."
Instead their song of praise was always to be -
Psalm 115:1 - "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give
glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake."
Psalm 79:9 - "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy
name..."
Psalm 44:8 - "In God we boast all the day long, and praise Thy name for
ever."
A perfect illustration of giving God all of the glory due His name is
seen in the account of the discovery of the telegraph by Samuel Morse
taken from the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS -
"Samuel Morse, an American painter turned inventor, tapped out a
message on a new device, called the telegraph in the capitol of the United
States. The message was received in Baltimore, and these were the words
chosen on that auspicious occasion: 'What hath God wrought!' Without
boasting about his own accomplishments, with deep humility, with a
recognition that he was only putting God's laws to work, he wired the
words that a hundred years later were sent around the world: 'What hath
God wrought!'
"What God hath wrought!" It is not as the humanists would have us to
think. It is not - "What man has accomplished!" ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Revelation 4:11 tells us - "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory
and honor and power..." The Lord Jesus is deserving of all of our praise.
It is fitting to ascribe all glory, honor, and power unto Him. Why? Simply
because, unlike man who is one of God's creations, He is the Creator of
all -
Revelation 4:11- "...For Thou hast created all things..." This very
fact is the foundation of all of our praise.
Revelation 4:11 - "...And for Thy pleasure they are and were created."
Was man born to have his needs met as the humanists say? Is the
fulfillment of his needs the top priority in his journey of life? The
Scriptures say that we were created for God's pleasure. We exist by His
will and for His Will. We were brought into this world not to do our
will but to do His will. We are not to be concerned about our needs being
met as much as the fulfillment of His desires and purposes.
The Humanists have it all wrong. Man's needs are never met by putting
himself first. On the contrary, they are met by placing God and His
Kingdom first -
Matthew 6:33 - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Do you have needs today? Which of us does not? Have you been trying to
walk with the Lord Jesus with a humanistic mentality? Have you been
overly concerned with the cares of this life? Have you been obsessed
with getting your needs met? Are you concerned at all that God be glorified
in your life? Are you here on this earth to accomplish God's plan for your
life or to accumulate an abundance of things? What does your daily
prayer list consist of - spiritual aspirations or the gain of earthly
treasures?
Amos 3:3 says - "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" How can
you say that you are walking with God yet do not make His glory your
chief end in life? How is it that you confess that Jesus is Lord yet
you and the fulfillment of your needs are still the main focus in your
life?
In Psalm 29, David admonished us to -
Psalm 29:1-2 - "Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD
glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name..."
It is when we give God the glory due His name that we will see our
needs met -
Psalm 29:11 says - "The Lord will give strength unto His people; the
LORD will bless His people with peace."
If we give God the glory in our lives, He will surely bless us. If we
give God His rightful place in our lives - first place - our needs will
be met. The counsel of the humanists is the "Counsel of the ungodly"
mentioned in Psalm 1:1. We shall be blessed when we walk not according
to this ungodly counsel of placing the fulfillment of our needs before
God's glory.
May God help us each and every day to testify of the True Source of all
of our accomplishments before this unbelieving, skeptical, and
humanistic society. May we, as Samuel Morse, lay all of the glory at the feet of
the Lord Jesus - "What God Hath Wrought!"
Copyright 2001 by Connie Giordano
