A rooster named Chanticleer was a vain bird who prided himself on his accomplishments. He was most proud of the fact that his crowing each morning caused the sun to rise. Every morning he crowed. And every morning the sun rose.
One morning Chanticleer overslept. When he awoke, he was surprised to see the sun was already up and it happened without any help from him. He then realized he could not honestly take credit for the rising of the sun each day. However, there was something else he could do. Chanticleer declared, “If by my crowing I cannot bring in the dawn, then by my crowing I can celebrate its coming.” (Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals, Day 319)
What have you been crowing about? When Peter crowed about being more dedicated than the other disciples, the rooster crowed to remind him that he had just denied Jesus three times (Matt. 26:33-34,75). Pride loves to brag about its strength. Humility brags about its weakness. Paul said, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor. 12:9).
It’s tempting to talk about our achievements, but it’s better to keep silent and let the accomplishments speak for themselves. A chicken lays one egg and cackles about it, while a salmon lays ten thousand eggs and doesn’t say a word. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth. Let the praise come from a stranger and not your own lips.”
Humility recognizes everything we have comes from God and He deserves the credit for everything He does through us. Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). You can’t take credit for what God does, but like Chanticleer, you can praise Him for doing it. That’s humility. Shining the spotlight on God and celebrating all that He has done. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
This week’s VIDEO TEACHING In this video Dr. Brian Thomas explains how tissues found inside dinosaur fossils disprove millions of years of evolution The Fossilization of Dinosaur Bones (click to watch)
