When Peter and John were going up to the temple, they saw a man, who crippled from birth, being carried to the temple gate. He was put there every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.
When he saw Peter and John entering, he asked them for money. Then Peter said,
“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, walk.”
Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.
When people saw this, they were astonished and gathered in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he shouted firmly.
“Why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power we had made this man walk? Jesus Christ whom you handed over to be killed and disowned but God raised from the dead made this man strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”
It was surely Peter who took the crippled man by the hand and made him get up. However, Peter gave glory to God, saying that Christ did it.
When God’s work is shown through us, we might act pompous. People want to get compliments and recognition by nature. Moreover, it is not difficult to glorify our own ability when something is done by God though we didn’t do anything because it is invisible in the eyes of people who don’t know.
This is the thing that we must be most careful about as God’s workers; we must not draw attention to ourselves when we do something. The work is never done by us. “The work beyond my ability” literally means that it is not my ability but the power of God that does the work.
“When we give glory to God, the glory returns to us.” from the Teachings of Mother