All glory and honor belong to the Lord!
“Our intellect is a marvelous and most useful gift of God, but it can become the most dangerous of all gifts if exalted to the place of lordship in our life.” — Zac Poonen.
This quote from Bro. Zac warned me not to glorify myself for anything in my life. In my previous article, I shared how God has given me the knowledge, wisdom, and guidance I needed as I prepared for interviews and searched for a job. Now, as a software engineer, I build software for enterprise organizations, develop websites, and continuously expand my knowledge to stay current with the evolving field of software development.
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence(AI) has become one of the biggest trends in the technology industry. It has quickly become a part of how people work, create, solve problems, and interact with technology. I spend my spare time learning new things in AI. God is so merciful and kind to me, giving me wisdom to do my job and teaching me new things in technology.
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” — James 1:17(NASB 1995).
One thing I have realized recently is that there is a certain covetousness within me — a desire to glorify myself for the wisdom the Lord has given me. God has been continually reminding me that all the glory belongs to Him. Any honor or recognition I receive from my colleagues, family, or friends ultimately belongs to the Lord.
Get Raju Karmuri’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
When someone appreciates my work, I can receive it as encouragement, but at the same time, I must immediately humble myself before the Lord, put my face in the dust, and give Him all the glory. Whatever wisdom, ability, or success I have is not something I can take credit for; it is a gift from Him. I must thank the Lord for all the blessings He showers on my life.
“Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”— Matthew 5:15,16 (TLB).
“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, for then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 6:1 (TLB).
I have been meditating on these two verses Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, and they have made me realize that God is interested not only in what I do but also in the motives behind it. These verses speak about our deeds and the testimony they give to others. Jesus calls us to deny our self-will and follow Him. As we follow Him, our lives should become a testimony so that people may see our deeds and ultimately praise our heavenly Father.
Jesus also said:
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 (NASB 1995).
The purpose of the power that God gives us is to be His witnesses. This is what I desire — to deny my self-will, follow Jesus, and share with others the spirituality and knowledge He has given me. But as I began to do this, I became more exposed to society, and people in different communities began to recognize me. Some who were encouraged by my testimony came to me and thanked me for the encouragement they had received.
I have realized that this is where I need to be especially careful. I must never allow anyone to think highly of me because of what God has done through me. My deeds should point people to the Lord, not to myself. If someone is encouraged by my testimony, my desire should be that their eyes would be turned toward Christ. I should never do anything simply for my own recognition, praise, or personal gratification. Whenever I pursue something good, I know that the Lord will help me, but He is also teaching me something deeper — to be thankful for everything He gives me and to give Him all the glory.
I am learning that the blessing is not merely in receiving His help or using the wisdom He has given me, but in having the right attitude toward those gifts: to remain humble, to be thankful, and to remember that everything I have comes from Him.
The more God gives me, the more I need to humble myself before Him. If there is anything good in my life that encourages another person, I want that person to see Christ — not me.
May the Lord help me to deny myself, faithfully follow Him, and use every gift He has given me for His glory. May He keep me humble whenever people appreciate or recognize me, and may all the glory always return to Him!
