And they glorified God in me.
The word glorified means
- To make visible
- Illuminate, and
- Lift up
When the believers in Jerusalem heard that Paul[1] had gotten saved and he was no longer a threat, they glorified God.
- They did not make a big deal that the threat was gone
- They did not make a big deal of Paul
They made a big deal of God because of what He had done in Paul.
I am sure they were happy to have less oppression (though they had previously praised God, they were counted worthy to suffer for His name).[2]
I am confident they would be glad to hear Paul was now a Christian (though their first impression was to handle him with caution).[3]
But
- They did not lift up and make the world see that he no longer oppressed them
- They did not lift up and make the world see that the one who had once persecuted was now a believer
They chose to lift up, and make the world see the One who had done these things in Paul.
The difference is subtle, but it’s the difference between faith and religion. It is God we must elevate, not our church, pastor, favorite politician, family, denomination, or the benefits we have received from them.
[1] I’ll use that name for consistency. I do know that at the time all of this transpired he was known as Saul of Tarsus.
[2] Acts 5:41 (KJV)
And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
[3] Acts 9:26 (KJV)
And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
To my readers:
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