And the winner is...

I believe that it is a human need to be acknowledged in one way or another. There is only so much that a person can do, in the name of “good”, without recognition before the thought crosses his/her mind that they are not appreciated. We have all heard and seen people deliver speeches at awards’ ceremonies/programs/retirement dinners/birthday parties in which they acknowledge the people that made the moment possible.

I’ve seen good ones and I’ve seen bad ones. Let’s start with the “bad ones”. These are the ones where the speaker usually pulls out a piece of paper and you can tell that the speaker really didn’t know who the person was that they were thanking or what that person did to assist the speaker as it relates to this achievement. This is evident by names getting mispronounced and an obvious nervousness in the delivery of the speech. In my opinion the “good ones”, can be categorized by the word’s “heart felt”. This speaker is often brought to tears when reflecting on the contributions and the sacrifices that the “supporting cast” made to bring the speaker into this realm of success. The speaker can convey this emotion to the listener and there is sincerity and sense of genuine appreciation in the delivery.

Proverbs 3:5-6 reads: “5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
In reading this today the word acknowledge stuck with me. Do I truly acknowledge God in all my ways? Am I more like the good speaker or the bad speaker (referenced above)? We are to acknowledge God in all our ways. We can do this when we:

Recognize His Presence (Begin to see Him in every aspect of our lives)

Realize His Power (Realize that we are powerless without Him…All Power comes from God)

Respond to His Persona (Make His characteristics our characteristics. Get to know Him. It is hard to truly acknowledge someone that you don’t know)

I want my life to be one that can be characterized by this phrase “This was a man who lived in a way that acknowledged God”.

Is your life more about acknowledging you and the things you’ve done or does your life point people to Christ and a relationship with God? Is your life a “heart felt” acknowledgement of Christ and all of the sacrifices that He made for you to be where you are today or do you forget about what He did and forget to mention His name when you are in the “moment”?

God requires our praise and deserves the glory. He’ll get it from our lives one way or another. Will you give Him the glory in a voluntary or an involuntary way? He will only tolerate “lack or appreciation and acknowledgement” for a season.

And the Winner is…

Be Blessed,
B