Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote an important book called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Some students of history say that her book did more to end slavery in America than any other single force.

She refused to take any credit for what she had written. She said that the Lord helped her in such a way that she was just a humble instrument in his hand.

St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians he can’t take credit for any good that has been done by his ministry. He gave the Lord praise for everything he says and does.

I have been so inspired over the years by the number of people who give God the credit for their gifts. I recently talked to a man who had the reputation of being able to “fix anything,” a real fix-it man. He was able to repair things the dealership said should be discarded. When praised about this, he simply said, “It is a gift from God.”

There are many examples of people who have a wonderful gift of music, both vocal and being able to play musical instruments. Some will tell us that they never had a music lesson.

The list goes on — people with the gift of cooking, great artists, athletes, gifted speakers, etc. There is of course, the rest of us who also have many gifts.

Question to ask ourselves is: Do we give God credit for these talents? Sometimes, I get the response, “I worked hard to be able to do these things.” I remind them that the ability to work hard comes from the Lord.

Someone has said, “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift back to God.”

God bless …