Credit Where Credit Is Due - Nehemiah

On October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.

Nehemiah 6:15-16

When asked how he remained humble and likeable in the face of so much success, the immensely talented and popular entertainer Jackie Gleason said, “The way I see it, God gave me the talent I have, so I have no reason to be arrogant about it.”

Nothing keeps a man’s feet on the ground like remembering that every blessing he has, including his own skills and talents, comes from the hand of a gracious and generous God. Nehemiah understood the importance of giving God the credit in all things. He put that understanding into practice as he oversaw the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.

When Nehemiah learned that the city’s walls lay in ruins, leaving the city vulnerable to attack, he sprang into action. He surveyed the problem, prayed about it, and came up with a plan to rebuild Jerusalem’s defenses. It took an astonishingly short fifty-two days to reconstruct the walls.

Some residents of Jerusalem might have expected Nehemiah to indulge in a little self-congratulation, but he had no interest in such things. Nehemiah knew that the swiftness of the rebuilding project would be a warning to Jerusalem’s enemies only if he made sure that God received the credit.

He was entirely happy to do so.

Nehemiah is a good example of a man who understood the importance of having a vision and working hard to see it become a reality. More importantly, he gave credit where it was due. There are no self-made men—only men who recognize the God who made them.

When you go out of your way to give God the credit for any good thing you accomplish, you give honor where it is due. What good thing is God doing in your life right now? Have you given him the credit?