Good morning!
As I write this, I find myself reflecting on how swiftly a week can pass - it flew by and how I was challenged by some unique and rare issues. It is easy in these circumstances to be drawn away from our relationship in Jesus Christ.
As I prayed about it this distraction this morning, this question popped into my head:
What does it mean to glorify God?
We often pray, closing our prayers with “through Jesus Christ for God’s glory…”. I know I do this and I have heard others use it this way and often have heard others in ministry state something like – "...we will do this always giving God the glory…"
You likely have heard sermons or read reflections or devotionals on glorifying God or living your life to glorify God. But what does that mean? Have you ever wondered?
John Piper, who is known to many for his ministry DesiringGod.org, defines it this way:
I think that is an awesome definition. Some things to consider, if we embrace them in our hearts and remember them as we live our faith, these thoughts would help us glorify God:
Obstacles to glorifying God might include for example – 1) letting daily work and personal distraction take our eyes off of Jesus Christ; or 2) that we do not spend time thinking about His greatness; his perfection.
Do you ever think you make God too small or let the worries of the world distract you from Him? For me the answer is yes and I have to remind myself of all the things listed above and more importantly that God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) spoke creation into existence – not just earth but the entire universe – you can find a video on YouTube (here is a video that might stir your understanding of how big God’s creation is - How Great Is Our God - Louie Giglio).
So why should we glorify God? Because without Him we are nothing, we would not exist. So going back to John Piper’s definition – “means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect His greatness” – using this definition are we glorifying God?
I think you can make the case each of us does glorify God:
These things reflect the fact that we are indeed His children, conceived, purposed, gifted, imaged in and by Him.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we remember that our purpose as God’s children, is to glorifying Him in how we live in this world and that we make a choice to act out the purpose in something we do this weekend that gives Him the glory – in service to another; in prayer; somehow! Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
As I write this, I find myself reflecting on how swiftly a week can pass - it flew by and how I was challenged by some unique and rare issues. It is easy in these circumstances to be drawn away from our relationship in Jesus Christ.
As I prayed about it this distraction this morning, this question popped into my head:
What does it mean to glorify God?
We often pray, closing our prayers with “through Jesus Christ for God’s glory…”. I know I do this and I have heard others use it this way and often have heard others in ministry state something like – "...we will do this always giving God the glory…"
You likely have heard sermons or read reflections or devotionals on glorifying God or living your life to glorify God. But what does that mean? Have you ever wondered?
John Piper, who is known to many for his ministry DesiringGod.org, defines it this way:
- “Glorifying” means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect his greatness, that make much of God, that give evidence of the supreme greatness of all his attributes and the all-satisfying beauty of his manifold perfections.
I think that is an awesome definition. Some things to consider, if we embrace them in our hearts and remember them as we live our faith, these thoughts would help us glorify God:
- Remembering God knit us together in the womb, knew us before our birth and savoring the depth of what that means (Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Job 10:11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.)
- He made us in His image – and in doing so have the opportunity in Christ to reflect that image back to the world (Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.)
- God gave us all a purpose (His purpose for each of us) and the gifts and talents we have, it is because of Him we are able to contribute to this world in little and big ways (gifts of the spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:4-27; Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.)
- He loves us so much He wants to be reconciled with us and to spend eternity with us (Romans 5:11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.)
Obstacles to glorifying God might include for example – 1) letting daily work and personal distraction take our eyes off of Jesus Christ; or 2) that we do not spend time thinking about His greatness; his perfection.
Do you ever think you make God too small or let the worries of the world distract you from Him? For me the answer is yes and I have to remind myself of all the things listed above and more importantly that God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) spoke creation into existence – not just earth but the entire universe – you can find a video on YouTube (here is a video that might stir your understanding of how big God’s creation is - How Great Is Our God - Louie Giglio).
So why should we glorify God? Because without Him we are nothing, we would not exist. So going back to John Piper’s definition – “means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect His greatness” – using this definition are we glorifying God?
I think you can make the case each of us does glorify God:
- In choosing to set our lives (surrendering) down for Christ;
- In picking up our cross daily, trusting in the strength our of Savior Christ Jesus to live in Him each day;
- In choosing to embrace His calling on our life;
- By praying daily knowing He is the ultimate source of all goodness, love, compassion, righteousness, and justice;
- In being thankful and grateful to Him regardless of our circumstances…
These things reflect the fact that we are indeed His children, conceived, purposed, gifted, imaged in and by Him.
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we remember that our purpose as God’s children, is to glorifying Him in how we live in this world and that we make a choice to act out the purpose in something we do this weekend that gives Him the glory – in service to another; in prayer; somehow! Amen!
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Patrick
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