To God Be ALL the Glory
Monday, August 28, 2023
“The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High.” – C.H. Spurgeon
“Today, I am the greatest of all-time,” Rickey Henderson said matter-of-factly to a packed Oakland Coliseum crowd on May 1, 1991. He had just swiped the 939th base in his illustrious baseball career, breaking Lou Brock’s record set in 1979. Brock, in turn, had eclipsed Ty Cobb’s mark of 897 stolen bases, a record that had stood for almost 50 years.
Ironically, Henderson, who would go on to steal another 467 bases before finally hanging up his spikes in 2003, began his speech by giving thanks to God for his athletic ability. Sadly, just a few sentences later, Henderson was focusing on – and giving glory to – himself.
Maybe Rickey got that idea from Muhammad Ali, arguable the most self-promoting athlete of all-time. In 1964, before his heavyweight title fight with Sonny Liston, Ali (then named Cassius Clay) repeatedly told anyone willing to listen – and the world in general – that he was the greatest boxer of all-time. Ali backed up his bragging by defeating Liston in seven rounds, but Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano may have something to say about his “greatest of all-time” boast.
The truth of the matter is that we can only promote one person or one Person. Either you engage in self-glorification or God-glorification. Either your life is self-centered or it is Christ-centered. There can be no in-between.
Personally, I prefer the humble approach taken by John the Baptist, when he told his disciples in John 3:30 that it was not only all right for Jesus to be elevated above him, but also necessary. “He must increase, but I must decrease,” John said.
I guess that’s why one of my favorite athletes is Lou Gehrig, the shy and reserved Yankee first baseman. Facing a death sentence from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Gehrig still referred to himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Even Joe DiMaggio, who was not widely known for his humility, said when he retired that he wanted to “thank God for making him a Yankee.”
“To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” Romans 16:27 (NKJV)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
