Rise and Shine

Rise, Shine, Give God Glory" The campfire has just about burned itself out. The campers watch the dying embers as someone begins singing the spine-tingling Negro spiritual, "We are climbing Jacob's ladder," and they all join in to sing the day away. As they come to the line, "Rise, shine, give God glory," they go to their cabins. It is a grand experience. But when we come back home we seem to lose some of the spirit of the camp in the humdrum of dishes to wash, lawn to mow, weeds to pull, and the countless interruptions we have to put up with. How can we "rise, shine, give God glory" in a home setting? How do we "give God glory" anywhere, for that matter? We can't add any colors to his glorious sunsets. Our praise won't make his sky any bluer, his trees any greener, or his seas any deeper. He already has the glory there. How are we to give him glory, then? One way we can give God glory is by giving him the credit for what he does. When we say "thank you" automatically for a present those words do not have any effect on the present. But a "thank you" spoken from the heart makes us like the present better. Then, too, we give glory to God or anyone else by acknowledging something that is done for us and not by trying to take the credit or glory ourselves. When we say, "Thank you, God," we are giving him glory. When Paul wrote a letter to the Romans (4:20) he told them that Abraham was strong in faith because he gave God the credit or glory for all his happiness and success. Do you always give the right person the credit when something wonderful happens?