What To Do with all that is Good in Your Life
The Lord asks Ezekiel (chapters 27 and 28) to take up a lament for Tyre, the famous Phoenician seaport on the Mediterranean coast.
But the song of lament begins like this…
Your domain was on the high seas;
your builders brought your beauty to perfection.
Men of Persia, Lydia and Put
served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets
on your walls,
bringing you splendor.
They hung their shields around your walls;
they brought your beauty to perfection.
For twenty verses the Lord speaks eloquently about the success of Tyre, describing the great wealth of goods pouring in and out of her dual harbors for exchange.
But the east wind is going to break the ships of Tyre to pieces in the heart of the sea. Because Tyre, in the pride of her heart, has said, I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.
I know Tyre is a city, but the way the Lord talks to her makes her feel like a person.
She has beauty.
She has splendor.
She has magnetism that draws people to her.
She has a heart.
She has a lot to offer.
But somewhere along the way she started to think all of this goodness was her own doing. All this skill and wisdom in commerce was because she was excellent, in and of herself. Worthy of a throne.
The Lord says to her:
Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.
Tyre is everything I want to be –beautiful and skilled and useful in this world. And I know these are the things God wants for me, too.
But I see the danger along the way. If God gives me a skill, I will be tempted to take the credit for it. If he makes me holy and blameless, I will be tempted to be vain. If he makes me useful, I will be tempted to claim the glory.
O Tyre, if only you had said, of all your magnificent ships, thriving commerce, and city splendor…
The Lord has done this.
The Lord has done this.
The Lord has done this.
Someone must get the credit for all that is good.
For what rays of excellence in your life are you tempted to build a throne for yourself?
Hi Christy,
You have certainly written a simple truth that is so easily forgotten much of the time. A lot of people really believe they are self made or that their great education has brought about their wonderful prosperity; but they fail to give credit to the God who made them and made them smart. Thank you for your wonderful message of it all being about God. He is the One who is great. Only He is worthy of our praise! May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to glorify Him in all things.
Yes, I struggle with this every day -hogging the glory to myself. I have a long way to go to build the habit of giving credit to the Lord.
WOW! Christy, you really hit the nail on the head with this one! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am learning the lesson, that it ALL comes from GOD ALONE, in so many aspects of my life. In my mind, this is a continuation of the story you shared about your dear Dad’s money & how he let you use it like a fountain to buy gifts for your mother. That was absolutely a life-changer for me. As is this one. The Lord bless you, sister-in-Christ.
I’m afraid you’ve made me cry. It means so much to me that the story about my dad would be meaningful to you. Thanks for telling me that.
I love how you brought this passage to life! I guess lately I have been tempted to take some credit for family successes. Yes, we have done some things right and made some good decisions. But for every positive act there has been God’s blessing- health, favor, and freedom to name just a few.
Thanks for this reminder!