The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:22-23)
When it comes to good rulers, Herod likely does not land on any reputable lists. In the New Testament, there were three different rulers named Herod: one who massacred all the boys aged two and younger in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16), one who beheaded John the Baptist (Mark 6:27), and the one in today’s reading who executed the apostle James (Acts 12:2).
Unfortunately for us, we have similarities to Herod that we do not like to admit. Like Herod in verse 23, we struggle heavily with giving glory to God in everything we do. Instead of trying to honor God in our everyday lives, we seek the approval of others, even if it means compromising on what the Scriptures say. Although God is the source of all the blessings and good in our lives, we sometimes act that it all came from our own actions. When we face struggles and trials, we fall into the belief that God has left us, even though he uses trials to make us mature and complete in our faith (James 1:4).
Why do we struggle in giving glory to God? The Christian walk is a marathon, not a sprint. Although it is by the work of Christ that we are free from the bondage and penalty of sin, we should not expect to be perfect in this lifetime. The apostle Paul said it best when he wrote “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15).
The first article of the Westminster Larger Catechism states that our chief and highest end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. On our own strength it is impossible for us to do so but thankfully we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. Praise God that we are not our own! It is important to remember that you do not have to become a pastor or missionary to honor and glorify God. We can glorify God in our 9 to 5 jobs, our interactions with people, and other seemingly mundane daily routines. Today, instead of being influenced by what the world thinks, let us trust that it is only in God alone that we find true joy.