In Acts 14:8-18, Paul and Barnabas were in the city of Lystra preaching the Gospel when Paul heals a man who was crippled. The crowd was astonished and began to think they were in the presence of a couple of demi-gods. Pandemonium broke out. Grown men were falling to the ground in worship, animals were being gathered for sacrifice when Paul insisted that they stop immediately.
What do you think you’re doing! We’re not gods! We are men just like you, and we’re here to bring you the Message, to persuade you to abandon these silly god-superstitions and embrace God himself, the living God. —Acts 14:15, The Message
King of Fools has an interesting take on this passage called Mistaken for gods. Paul’s difficulty in Lystra is actually a familiar one to most of us—it can be tempting, and so easy, to take credit for things that aren’t our doing. It’s so very tempting to spin reality to make ourselves look better than we really are.
Integrity is a habit formed by piling up countless small decisions to live honestly, even when it makes us look bad. This is the hardest thing for me to do. I hate being less than perfect. But I’ve found through the years that it’s good for my soul to admit that I’m merely human, not a god.
Put King of Fools on your regular reading list.
Thanks for the link and the kind words, Charlie! I appreciate it.