One Sunday, a pastor was greeting people after church when Mrs. Jones—who wasn’t known for handing out many compliments—shook his hand and said, “Pastor, that was an amazing sermon!” Humbly, he replied, “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Jones. That wasn’t me. It was all God.” She paused, considered his response, and said, “Well, it was good, but it wasn’t that good!”

Humor aside, the pastor’s heart was in the right place. He wanted to give God the credit. In our world, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes we don’t give God credit simply because we don’t see His hand at work. Other times, pride tempts us to keep the credit for ourselves.

The first Christian Pentecost provides a powerful example. On that day, the disciples experienced supernatural signs—rushing wind, tongues of fire, and the sudden ability to speak other languages. Acts 2 tells us how the crowd responded. Many were amazed and asked, “What does this mean?” But others mocked, saying, “They are filled with new wine.” (Acts 2:12-13)

That mockery reveals one reason we miss God’s work: we’re not spiritually minded. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” The skeptics at Pentecost couldn’t see what God was doing because they viewed everything through a natural lens.

We’re guilty of the same. We label positive events as a coincidence instead of assuming that God is at work for good in all things. We attribute healing solely to medicine and technology instead of believing that God uses modern methods to accomplish His gift of healing. We accept only natural explanations instead of recognizing that God, who instituted the laws of nature, can bend those rules as He chooses.

Another reason we fail to give God credit is our pride. It’s easier to say, “I earned this,” than to admit, “God gave me this ability.” Moses warned about this in Deuteronomy 8:17-18: “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.” Who gave you your intellect, your opportunities, your strength? God did.

Even Jesus was denied credit. His family thought He was crazy. Religious leaders claimed His power came from the devil. Instead of praising Him as Savior, they crucified Him. But at Pentecost, Peter stood up and gave Jesus the credit He deserved. He declared that though Jesus was killed, God vindicated His Son by bringing Him back to life. Peter concluded his Pentecost sermon, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

By the work of the Holy Spirit, you and I can be people who give the glory to God.

• One way we give glory to God is by praising Him. In our prayers and in our worship, we acknowledge God’s goodness to us.
• Another way to give glory to God is by speaking humbly about yourself, reserving words of exaltation for God alone.
• We can also give glory to God by giving witness to His work in our lives. We can make statements like this: “God helped me” or “I’m grateful God gave me this opportunity.”

As 1 Peter 4:10 says, we use our gifts to serve “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”