Your Prayers: Are They Humble Petitions or For Human Praise?

    Last week we looked at the hypocritical pitfall in our path when our motivation for doing good works is self-promotion and glory-seeking instead of doing good simply because God created us in Christ Jesus for this purpose (Ephesians 2:10). We reap our own feeble reward when we seek after the temporary glory given by man instead of giving God the glory for blessing us with the opportunities and provisions that enable us to benefit another person.

    Jesus did not stop at good works in His lesson on potential pitfalls in glory-seeking amongst men; He said a vainglorious heart can also made evident in our prayers:

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites [pretenders]. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:5-6 NKJV)

    Now, you may be thinking, “I’m a woman, I don’t pray publicly” and yes, in regular church services, studies, and gatherings where men are present you do not, and rightfully so, but what about at ladies’ bible classes, with your children/grandchildren, when you’re praying with a fellow sister in Christ who is in need of encouragement, comfort, or care; these are all public – heard by others – prayers.

    As with all of Jesus’ teaching, all things come down to a heart issue; we need to honestly examine our hearts and make the necessary changes so that we can avoid the potential problems He lovingly warns us of. Are you eager to show off your eloquence and the carefully curated words and phrases that you think will sound wonderful to others so they will awe at your “devotion”? Are you praying to people or are you praying to God, the Father?

    Consider the familiar parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 (please turn and read that passage).

Two men went to the temple to pray:

    A Pharisee, a religious leader in the synagogue of the Jewish people who were known for their money-hungry ways (Luke 16:14), their political motivations/need for power (John 11:47-48), and their hatred of any who were different/or threatened their position of influence (Luke 18:9, John 12:42-43, also study the lives of Jesus and the apostle Paul).

    A tax collector, a man who was looked down on with much fear and even contempt because he was employed by the Roman government to collect unpaid taxes from the people  (Mark 2:15-17, Matthew 11:18-20, Luke 15:1-7, consider Romans 13:1-7).

    The Pharisee “stood and prayed thus with himself” – did you notice that? With himself, not to God; his ‘prayer’ was, unbeknownst to his proud heart, not going further than his voice could carry it. He spent his time thinking he was informing God of all of his ‘accomplishments’ when in reality he was only revealing his self-righteous arrogance to all the other men within earshot.

    The tax collector, on the other hand, stood “afar off” – not in a place to be seen and heard – and would not even raise his eyes up, but beat his chest and begged God for mercy, because he knew he was a sinner. He humbled himself before God and begged for lovingkindness and forgiveness from the only One he can hope to receive it from: God.

    Jesus declared that it was the tax collector who showed himself to be righteous and acceptable before God (“…this man went down to his house justified” v14) and He finishes His parable with these words: “…everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (v14)

    Let’s be careful in our public prayers (amongst women) as well as in our private prayers, that we are not trying to impress others or God by our words. Let’s work to have hearts that truly honour God and give him the reverence and respect He is due, always remembering who He is and who we are before Him, that it is not our goodness but His goodness that has allowed us to approach Him and beg for His forgiveness, His mercy and His grace (Titus 3:3:1-7, Hebrews 4:14-16, 1 John 1:8-10).

You can do it! So can I!! 

Do Good for God’s Glory

    I would like you to consider today what may be a familiar passage to you, Matthew 6:1-4 (please open your bible to this passage, I’ll wait J).

    Take note of the warning in the first verse: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Jesus goes further in calling those who have this vainglorious heart “hypocrites” (v2) – because they were religious persons who behaved this way, both in the synagogues and in the streets; they did ‘good’ solely for men to see them, awe at them, and praise them for their falsely-motivated compassion.

    When we, as Christians, know that it is God who has created us in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10, consider Luke 17:10) and it is He who grants us the wherewithal to accomplish every good work (2 Corinthians 9:7-11) and it is He who commands us to keep doing good throughout our lifetime (Titus 2-3), and then we do our good works simply to get the “volunteer of the year” award, or to get our name and/or photo in the paper, or even just to hear from those around us, “You’re such a generous and caring person,” then we, too, are being hypocrites. We tell others to humbly obey God and joy in all that He provides, yet we, ourselves, chase after the temporal words and awards of men to motivate and bolster us. We, like the hypocrites in the 1^st century, have our reward: man’s fleeting praise.

    Don’t settle for that.

    Desiring man’s praise robs us of God’s praise. God will not praise us for the good we accomplish when our heart is motivated by self-promotion and vainglory; all we will receive is what man may (or may not) muster and that is a house built on shifting sand. But when we conduct ourselves daily with a God focused heart (giving Him thanks, praise, and glory for the blessings and abilities He has given that allow us to be a benefit to others) and quietly do our work “heartily as to the Lord, and not to men,” (Colossians 3:23), our Father will reward us: with more opportunities/responsibilities (Matthew 24:45-47; 25:21, 23, 29), with the reward of the inheritance (Colossians 3:24), with eternal life (Romans 2:6-7), with the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8), and with the crown of life (James 1:12), just to name a few!  

    Knowing this, let your charitable deeds and good works be done quietly and secretly, not livestreamed or posted/boasted about online. God, the perfect and righteous Judge, knows all that you have done, let that be enough. Praise God for His generous provision and thank Him for the opportunity to do some good for another and go on with your day. He will reward you (Matthew 6:4), and the reward from our glorious Father will be far above and beyond anything we could ever desire to receive from men.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NKJV)

    Seek glory for God, not for yourself. Desire praise from God, not from man.

You can do it! So can I!! 

Are You Standing Firm With God or Falling to the Desires of Men?

    Have you heard this adage, “Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything”? Standing for something takes courage and tenacity because you will likely face opposing opinions and criticisms while maintaining your stand. Those who desire to please God will take their stand with Him and maintain that stand knowing all the while it will cause some to hate them (John 15:18-25). On the other hand, those who desire to be pleasing to man will alter and adapt their words and actions to be better accepted/promoted within the ranks of men (2 Timothy 4:3-4); they will be bent and twisted until every last drop of the Truth is squeezed out of them and they are left a puppet in the hands of the world’s master (1 John 5:19).

“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4 NKJV)

    The apostle Paul wrote a couple times about his stand (and that of the other apostles) to please only God and not man (see Galatians 1:6-10 and 1 Thessalonians 2:3-12). They were entrusted with the gospel and understood the weight and value of that responsibility; they willingly endured hostilities and physical dangers as they took a stand with Jesus (ex: 2 Corinthians 11:22-33). If they had sought to please men they would have fallen for the demands of the chief priests and other religious leaders and perpetuated the “tweaks” these men had made to God’s commands that Jesus spoke out against in Matthew 5:21-48 (“You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…”) and Mark 7:7-9.  

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 NKJV)

    A bondservant, simply put, is a servant who chooses to stay and serve (see Deuteronomy 15:12-18). James referred to himself as “a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). When we choose to bind ourselves to God, to faithfully serve Him just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:20-23, 1 John 2:5-6), we are taking a stand with Him, but if we allow our heads to be turned by man’s praise and begin to desire their words of approval we have ‘left our first love’ and fallen before new and fickle masters.

    When we take a stand for God and His way we may win souls to His glory and His service (Matthew 5:14-16, Acts 2), but we will also be hated by those whose actions are exposed by the light (John 3:19-21, Acts 7) and speak evil of us because we “do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation” (dissipation: self-indulgence, promiscuity, 1 Peter 4:1-4), but we stand and endure because we are helped, comforted, and strengthened by God all the while (Hebrews 4:16, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Ephesians 6:10-18). When we fall to the desires of man, pandering to them in hopes of some praise to inflate our ego; telling them what they want to hear (instead of what they need to hear) and walking in their ways so they don’t feel judged or uncomfortable we will only end up where they are – far away from God, His help, and His blessings (consider Psalm 1:1-3)

    Do you love God enough to be His dedicated bondservant? Do you value Him and His word enough to take on the responsibility of exemplifying Him and His way to the world around you (Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 5:3)? Are you willing to maintain your stand and speak the Truth even when you receive man’s criticism instead of compliments? Is your confidence in Him enabling you to stand firm with Him amid the world’s opposition (Romans 1:16-17)?

You can do it! So can I!! 

Learning to Love Glory from God More Than From Man

    Last week I gave you lists of indicators that would help you determine if you are seeking approval and/or praise from man or from God. I hope you read them carefully and have taken time to consider your heart honestly in this matter over the past few days.

    If the Lord wills, over the next few weeks I would like to dig into the verses that help us better understand that we can receive glory and praise from God and we can and should learn to love receiving His praise and glory more than any praise or glory man may offer.

Throughout this study I would like you to ask yourself:

Does my life express more of a love for the glory that comes from God or the glory that comes from man?

Do I seek the advancement of my own name more than God’s/the Lord’s name?

    In my personal bible reading I came across a passage that fitted so well with this topic and I thought it would be a good place to begin. While this particular passage is speaking about the people of Judah turning from God and trusting in themselves and their neighbouring Gentile nations (and their gods) for help, I felt it could also apply to this study. Consider these verses:

“Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places of the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV)

    You truly are cursed if you rely on man for your esteem and sense of self/well-being. Have you heard the phrase: “If you live by men’s praise, you will die by their criticism”? It is true that more you rely on man to lift you up and inform you that you are doing a good job – and nine out of ten may do that for you – you will be consumed with that one who either criticized, or worse, said nothing at all – you will forget all the good for that one who was critical or silent – and you will let it eat at you and provoke you, “you will inhabit the parched places of the wilderness” – if only in your mind – allowing that one ‘negative’ to drain your energies, both mental and physical, so that you have less and less desire to continue doing the good you were accomplishing.

“How can you believe, who receive honour from one another, and do not seek the honour that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NKJV)

    When we look to God and trust in Him, live humbly before Him, seeking only His praise – “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, 23) – we will thrive, “as tree planted by the waters;” we will not fear heat nor drought (the lack or absence of man’s praises) but continue to grow and develop fruit, inhibited by nothing.

    Are you continuing to thrive, knowing God is pleased with your service, or are you wilting for want of man’s words of approval? Examine your own heart. You can change your habitual desire for man’s words to trusting, with quiet confidence, that you have God’s approval. Are you ready to try?

You can do it! So can I!!

Learning to Love the Glory and Praise From God More Than From Men

    We have spent the past few weeks looking at what it means to give God the glory due His name and how we can glorify Him, but there are also many verses in the Bible that speak of receiving glory and praise from God, so I would like to spend our next few weeks, if the Lord wills, to dig into the topic of ‘Learning to Love Glory From God.’

Do You Love Praise and Glory from Man More Than Praise and Glory from God?

    This is an area that I struggle with, and maybe you do, too. We want affirmation, we want to hear that what we are doing is good; we want to be appreciated for our efforts, in the form of a kind compliment or even words of praise. Sometimes those words get showered on us, whether we desire them or not and sometimes there is nary a droplet of praise for our continuing hard work.

    No matter where you consider yourself – desiring praise or content without it - I would like you to take this “quiz,” consider the statements carefully as you examine your own heart.

*Note: These statements are not original to me. I found them online and thought them helpful. They are written by Sarah Walton (I do not endorse her, or anything else she has written, as I have no knowledge of her work beyond this information I have chosen to share), from an article she wrote titled, “Are you Seeking the Glory of God or the Glory of Man?” (April 6, 2016). This is an excerpt from her article.

Indicators That You Love Man’s Glory

• You measure success by what you see and feel in the moment (eg: if others don’t appreciate what you’ve done or your work isn’t flourishing, it must be a failure and not worth continuing)
• You are motivated/unmotivated in your work, friendships, church, etc. by the praise or lack of praise of those around you.
• Your decisions are often driven by what others think.
• You are easily discouraged, irritated, or angry when your efforts are not appreciated by others or when others receive credit for something you’ve done.
• When others praise you, you begin to feel self-confident in your own abilities, rather than rely on the Lord to lead and provide.
• You are more drawn to the type of work and serving opportunities that will be noticed and praised by others.
• You struggle with competitiveness and envy when someone else succeeds or is given praise (even within the body of Christ)
• You measure success with a short term view, rather than an eternal one.
• You spend less time in the Word and prayer and more time perfecting your craft, skill, job, reputation.
• You only portray the admirable aspects of your life to those around you (in church services, on social media, etc.)
• You find comfort in making sure others see your pain and shower you with attention because of it.
• Your relationships only go so deep that your struggles are not revealed (eg: keep people at “arm’s length”)
• Your emotions and how you feel about yourself are constantly swayed by what you assume others think of you.
• You only share a surface level of your faith out of fear of offending someone or giving the perception that you’re weak, strange, narrow-minded.

Indicators That You Love God’s Glory

• You find joy in Christ’s name being exalted, even if you receive no attention or praise in the process.
• When others praise you, you feel genuinely humbled, undeserving, and overwhelmed by God’s grace in your life.
• You persevere in doing good and find joy in serving Christ, even when it isn’t glamourous and goes unappreciated.
• You find pleasure in exercising unique abilities God has given you, no matter the outcome or level of success it brings.
• You are excited for those who do well and compassionate and gracious toward those who fail.
• You do not measure success by the world’s terms, but by the truth of God’s word.
• You are honest about your struggles, failures, and sin, recognizing you are always learning and growing alongside every Christian.
• You do not feel the need to portray a certain type of life on social media and do not need a certain amount of likes, comments, shares, friends, or followers to feel good about yourself.
• You respect church leadership (and others) with the goal of glorifying Christ, rather than needing to be seen and heard.
• You seek to know and pursue what Christ values more than climbing the ladder of success and seeking what the world values.
• You extend grace and forgiveness to those around you, seeking unity in Christ rather than self-protection and justice/revenge.
• You do not feel threatened or intimidated by those who seem to be more spiritually mature than you, but you humbly desire to learn from others, knowing we are all in different places in our faith.

    Think of these things today and over the next few days, as the Lord wills. Ponder them in your heart and mind, analyze your own thoughts and actions over the next few days and be truthful with yourself. Then next week we will begin to learn how to love praise from God more than from man.

    Are you ready and willing? Me, too! 

Giving God the Glory: How We Glorify God – Part 2

Praise Glorifies God

“Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50:23 NKJV)

    Christians are to be to the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:12-13). We have every reason to praise God, and we should grow to a point that it is completely natural for us to openly declare His greatness to others and to God, Himself, in prayer. A good place to begin your journey in praise is to read the psalms; much can be learned from King David and the other psalmists that will open our minds to God’s greatness and majesty!

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:1-3 NKJV)

    “Bless” when in reference to God (ex: ‘bless the LORD’) means to speak beautiful words about – sounds like praise, doesn’t it? And to ‘magnify’ Him means to declare His greatness. You need to know it to speak about it, so keep digging into the Bible each day and learning of God’s astounding goodness and power, so you can offer praise and glorify God!

Glorify God in Your Body and in Your Spirit

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV)

    This is why we practice self-control and why we must “order our conduct aright” – we appreciate what was done for us, we respect the price paid to redeem us from sin, and we realize we are walking/talking billboards, representing God and His way to the world around us. That is why we do our best to be holy in all our conduct, because God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) and why we work at purifying ourselves just as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)

    Consider also Matthew 16:24-26 – if you desire to follow Jesus you must deny self, take up your cross, and follow Him (see 1 John 2:6). Let’s remember who our body and spirits belong to – we were bought with Jesus’ blood – let’s honour God by using them in His service and for His glory (Matthew 5:14-16)!

Confessing Jesus Christ is Lord Glorifies God the Father

“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11 NKJV)

    If one does not bow his knee to Jesus in this life, he will fall to his knees before Him in the final Day. We, who know the magnificent blessings found only in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14), should make sure that we are honouring the gospel message and showing, in all we do and say, that we humbly bow our knee to our King Jesus and confess that He is Lord!

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11 NKJV)

    Let’s give God the glory by daily appreciating the purchase price of our salvation, by honouring and confessing Jesus as Lord (1 John 4:15) and following His way, by speaking God’s words, and by helping others with the abilities God has given us (2 Corinthians 9:8)!

Bearing Fruit Glorifies God

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:5, 8 NKJV)

    Bearing good fruit is not our doing, it's our doing God's commands; we need to be walking in the Spirit so that the Spirit's fruit can develop in us (Galatians 5:16-26). 

    God’s commands are only ever for our good (Deuteronomy 6:24-25). When we submit to His way and obey His commands, we will begin to bear good fruit (see Matthew 13:13:23, Luke 8:15). Bearing good fruit causes others to rejoice and give God glory (Matthew 5:16, Titus 3:8) and God will not be ashamed to be called our God (consider Hebrews 11:13-16).  We prove ourselves to be disciples of Jesus when we bear fruit to God’s glory (1 John 2:3-6, John 8:31-32).

Part 1 and Part 2 Summary:

What glorifies God? How do we glorify Him?

·         The church glorifies Him – are you a part of the Christ’s church?

·         Putting on His whole armour each day – having you been wearing it?

·         Our transformation from hapless to holy – are you still growing and making changes for good (2 Peter 3:18)?

·         Praise – are you speaking beautiful words about God and declaring His greatness?

·         Our body and spirit – are you using these for God’s service? Consider Psalm 16:2 and Psalm 27:8

·         Confessing Jesus Christ is Lord – do your words and conduct confess Jesus as Lord of your life?

·         Bearing Fruit – have you let God’s word (Luke 8:11-15) take root in your heart so that you are bearing fruit to His glory?

    Think on these things this week. Take an honest look at your habits, at your heart; I pray that you will make the changes needed so you can confidently answer 'yes' to each question listed above.   

You can do it! So can I!! 

How We Glorify God – Part 1

“Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” (Psalm 105:3 NKJV)

THE CHURCH GLORIFIES GOD

    The very existence of the church glorifies God and proclaims His manifold wisdom to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:10-11).

    What is the church? Christ’s body is the church (‘church’ and ‘body’ are the same and Christ is the head, Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18). To be in the church, you must be in Christ, in His body – how? By being baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:27). It is only in Christ (His church/body) that every spiritual blessing is found (Ephesians 1:3) and it is only in Christ that we can be to the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12).

    How does the church declare God’s manifold wisdom? No organization of man has ever brought together people from every nation and every language, regardless of sex, cultural status/income, or knowledge and unified them to work toward a common goal. With everything man-made, divisions are evident and people are inevitably excluded, but in Christ “you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus… there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave not free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-29, see also 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, John 1:12-13, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Revelation 5:9-10).

    The church gives God all the glory and plainly declares His wisdom – when we worship together as He commanded (Acts 20:6-7, 1 Corinthians 11:21-26; 16:1-2, Ephesians 5:19-21, etc.), when we, individually, obey His will every day (Ephesians 5:1-18, James 1:21-25, Titus 2:11-14), when we call on Him in prayer (Hebrews 4:15), when we work together, each part doing its share (Ephesians 4:15-16), when we help each other walk the narrow and difficult way (Romans 14:13, Philippians 2:1-4, Galatians 6:1-2, Hebrews 3:12-15, 2 Timothy 2:22, James 5:13-20, etc.), and when we share the gospel message with others (Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:47).

PUTTING ON GOD’S WHOLE ARMOUR GLORIFIES HIM

    While there is no verse (that I’ve found) that states that wearing God’s armour glorifies Him, this is another area in which we are proving to the powers and principalities, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places that God and His way is the BEST way!

    When we put on the whole armour of God we prove that we trust Him, His instructions and His prohibitions; we prove that with God we can be strong and mighty to stand against them and their leader in the evil day because God is the absolute source of our strength and might (Ephesians 6:10-18)!

    When we stand firm with God, prepared and ready in His armour, and give our very best efforts to humbly do what He has commanded us, we give glory to Him and tell all, in every realm, both physical and spiritual, that God is (Hebrews 11:6), that He is holy and must be revered, and that He is worthy of our every sacrifice (Romans 12:1), and of every word we can speak in praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 116:16-17)!

OUR TRANSFORMATION FROM HAPLESS TO HOLY GLORIFIES GOD

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tiding to the poor; He has sent ME to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound… to give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1, 3 NKJV)

    God plants those who come to Him (through Jesus, John 14:6) in His courts so that we may grow and flourish with His blessings (Psalm 92:12-15) – why? That He may be glorified!

    We may come to God withered and wearied by our sin, but He washes us (baptism for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38-39, 22:16, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11), renews us, and we grants us newness of life (Ephesians 2:1-10, Romans 6:1-4). We continue in “newness of life” by determining daily to put off the “old man” (sinful thoughts and conduct) and put on the “new man” which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:17-24, also see Colossians 3:1-17). We grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), always remembering that we were cleansed from our sins. We turn our backs to sin and keep our focus on God and His will (Colossians 3) so we can be kept from stumbling and be fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11, Jude 24-25, 1 Corinthians 7:9-10)

    Our transformation comes about when we let our minds be renewed by God’s word (Romans 12:1-2). When we allow God’s word to correct us, guide us, and motivate us as we grow up in Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17) the focus of our daily effort will go from pleasing the world to proving to them that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect. We will joy so much in walking in the light that we will seek to help others in the darkness of sin come to the Light (John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8-14).

    God called us (by the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) out of darkness into His marvelous light so that we may proclaim His praises (1 Peter 2:9)!

    Only when we are walking in the light, conforming daily to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29, 1 John 2:3-6), and allowing ourselves to be transformed through obedience (1 Timothy 4:15) can we be called "trees of righteousness;" only then can we bring proper glory to God!

    Are you part of the Lord’s church? Are you putting on the whole armour of God? Are you allowing God’s word to transform you more each day? Outside of these things we are unable/unprepared to give Him the glory due His name! Let today be the day!! Make the necessary changes and determine to let your light so shine in God's service that He is glorified!!

You can do it! So can I!! 

Ascribe to the LORD the Glory Due His Name: Part Two

    Last week, we looked at some of the blessings we can wrongly take credit for. It is good to stop and trace these blessings back to God so we can give Him the glory He is due. Today, let’s look at a few more blessings that we may take for granted, so we can express renewed praise and thanksgiving to God for His generous love, mercy, and grace.

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 NKJV) 

The Bible: God created us to seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-27) and did not leave us to puzzle over how we “got here” (Genesis 1), how to find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), or how to be pleasing to Him (Colossians 1:9-11). He loved us enough to provide His will to man, prepared men to write down His words (1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:20-21), and those very words were preserved over these millennia, translated by faithful men into languages we can understand, and now printed in such abundance that we could have ready access to them in a convenient, portable book we call the Bible; we may even have several copies in our homes. When we realize the very wonder of this – we hold the very Word of God in our hands – we need to thank God for the preparation, preservation, and provision He has granted, we need to give Him all the glory He is due for His generosity and show our true joy for this precious information by using it for reading, study, and guidance each day (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Church: Some have still not returned to regular attendance after the pandemic - yes, even all these years later - choosing to stay home and “watch online,” maybe they don’t want to give up the new habits developed during the nation’s lockdown or maybe they like not having to interact with others, but they are missing out on something huge: participating in worship – listening to the sermons and prayers together, singing together, studying together, partaking of the Lord’s Supper together, talking/visiting together. Every part of it is an encouragement to both ourselves and others. God determined for Christians to gather together, to be a brotherhood, a family, so we can help each other walk the narrow and difficult way (1 Peter 5:8-9, 2 Timothy 2:22). If you aren’t there, how can you help another? If you aren’t there, how can you be helped?  God blessed us abundantly by establishing the church and giving instructions for local congregations to gather on the Lord’s Day to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), let’s remember the value of the church, and appreciate that we can serve God today just as they did in the 1^st century because God provided all the information/instruction we need in the Bible. Let’s give Him the glory for its establishment and not let bad habits and/or personality differences get in the way of our attendance or our praise and thanksgiving.    

God’s Lovingkindness and His Faithfulness: When we read Psalm 92:1-2, we find an encouragement to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to His name, to declare His lovingkindness every morning, and His faithfulness every night. Over the past few years, I have remembered this verse as I opened my eyes to a new day and immediately turned my mind to thanking God for His lovingkindness (aka mercy) in granting me a new day in which I could learn more so I could serve Him better. Each night I thank Him for His faithfulness – that He remained over all, that He was listening every time I voiced a prayer, that His promises of help (Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 46:1-4), comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), peace (Philippians 4:6-7), and strength (Psalm 18:32, 1 Peter 5:10-11) held true, and that His wisdom proved true (doing things God’s way truly is the best way, James 1:21-25). Recently though, I have realized that I need to be thanking Him for His lovingkindness that stretches beyond me, giving another day to my family and my family in Christ, and beyond them, thanking Him for the love He demonstrates through His longsuffering, giving those in the world another day to turn to Him and seek Him (2 Peter 3:9) – which reminded me of my need to be a light to the world and do good with the time I am granted Today. Let’s remember that our tomorrows are not guaranteed. Praise God and thank Him for each new day, and purpose to shine His light throughout the day. When you lay your head down at night, thank Him and praise Him for His absolute faithfulness – He has not and will not forsake His children (Psalm 37:27-28, 94:14, Hebrews 13:5).   

God’s Mercy and Forgiveness: We hold grudges, we give people the cold shoulder or the silent treatment, we allow resentment to build, we keep a mental record of wrongs, and may even begin to look forward to when the next mistake is inevitably made so we can cluck our tongues, roll our eyes, and unleash the storm that has been brewing in our minds toward them. Imagine if God was like that toward us? Would we even stand a chance? Take an honest look at your life and think about how often God has been merciful to you and the innumerable times He has forgiven you; how longsuffering He has been with you? How patient and loving He has been with you? How many times you have disappointed Him but He still loves you and wants you to come to Him for comfort, strength, and help? We should be praising God for His lovingkindness (aka mercy) every morning (Psalm 92:1-2), we should be careful to appreciate His forgiveness, give Him glory, praise and thanksgiving for His expansive compassion and willingness to forgive our debts, so much so that we have hearts that are compassionate and forgiving as well (Matthew 18:21-25). Take time to think on the commands found in these verses: Ephesians 4:29-32, Matthew 6:12; 14-15, Colossians 3:13, Mark 11:25, John 17:3-4 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-6, 1 John 3:1-3.  

“Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:2-3 NKJV)

 

    These are just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ when it comes to our blessings and the things we can glorify God for, and glorify Him we must! He has granted us such astounding benefits, we need to not hold them as commonplace, but we need to appreciate them, thank God for them, praise Him for His wisdom and love, and give Him the glory due His name!!

You can do it! So can I!!   

   

Giving God the Glory: Ascribe to the LORD the Glory Due His Name

“Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:7-9 NKJV) 

    When my daughters were small I would ask them to think about all the things they could thank God for before they prayed at night. My youngest daughter started listing off her toys and was soon told by her older sister that “those were made by people” but after a moment’s thought I encouraged them both to thank God for their dolls and toys because God had given the people who made them the creativity to think them up, the ability to make the materials, and the skills to put them together. After that, we began to think up all sorts of things, and for every one we, with this new perspective, were able to trace them all back to God, give Him thanks, and happily talk about how awesome He is!

     Do we, as adults, pause long enough to consider God’s involvement in all that we have? We need to offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116:17, 107:21-22), we need to think on His works so we can offer Him the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15), and glorify Him as God and Creator of all; giving Him the all the glory due His name!!

Your job(s)/source(s) of income: Remember it is God who gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). He granted you your talent, your ability to do the work and to gain knowledge, your health and function to accomplish what is needed.

Your transportation: If it is your own feet and legs – God blessed you with health, strength, and mobility to use them – or maybe it’s a bicycle or a type of motorized vehicle, so, like my daughter’s toys, these can be traced back to God because He granted people the ability to create these mechanisms and to source the materials needed to make them work safely and efficiently to transport us through varied weather and road conditions.  

Your talents: Maybe you were born with an ability or were quick to learn and master a skill that people now describe as ‘your talent, ’ whatever it may be, you were blessed with your talent by God, who gave you function and mobility to do it, and time to hone it.

Your house and belongings: See the first point. It is either from your job/income (that God granted you the ability to accomplish/gain) or from your inheritance/birthright (God granted you life) that you have a place to call home filled with things that mean something to you. Your house and everything in your house can be traced back to blessings God has bestowed on people at some point in time. The fact that we have them; that we can see, touch, hear, and smell the things around us proves that He continues to bless us abundantly as well!

Your daily “bread”: Most of us are in the habit of bowing in prayer before we eat our daily meals, but have we become so habitual in those prayers that we say them by rote. Hopefully we have grown beyond, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food,” but do we race through a familiar prayer of our own making that has come to require little thought? I have tried to take a bit longer in my prayers for my food by considering all that goes into what is before me: God provided us with this earth where soil and atmosphere are good for growing crops, sustaining livestock, and supplying fresh water. He granted people the ability to make use of these conditions, to grow and sell their produce so we, who work at other things, can enjoy them as well. Within these food sources are natural vitamins and minerals, put there by God when He created them, that provide us with nutrition. He has granted us ability to gain wealth that allows us to have electricity and therefore a way to preserve and prepare the food we bring into our houses (heating/cooling, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, etc.), He also grants us health and wellness to prepare our meals and to eat them.     

    These are just a few things that we can so easily take for granted, or worse, think they are from our own doing! We can puff ourselves up and say, “It was my talent and skill that got me the job; I have all these things because I work hard for them!” or “I slaved all day over this meal, if you’re gonna thank anyone, it better be me, I did all the hard work!” or “I know right? I am pretty talented!” – remember Nebuchadezzar’s downfall when he looked over Babylon and declared, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for my royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty?”  (Daniel 4:30).

    Stop for a moment and look around you, really study all that surrounds you. You.are.blessed. Do you enjoy all these things but forget to thank God for the blessing of life, breath, and all things? Do you praise Him for all He has provided and continues to provide (Psalm 68:19); do you give God the glory due His name?

“…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20 NKJV)

    God is worthy of all the glory we can ascribe to His holy name!! Let’s open our eyes to the blessings and benefits He has given us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17), and open our lips to give Him the credit, the praise, and the thanksgiving He deserves!!

You can do it! So can I!!  

   

Glorifying God, Giving Him the Glory

“Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:7-9 NKJV)

glory ‘doxa’ (G1391) very apparent dignity, honour, praise, worship

glorify ‘doxazo’ (G1392) to render or esteem glorious. To testify of one’s value by recognizing their real value – i.e. valuing God for who He really is, to worship, honour, hold in honour, magnify

“By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.” (Leviticus 10:3b NKJV)  

    Moses and Aaron were both prohibited from entering the Promised Land because they did not hallow God before the people (Numbers 20:1-13, 24, Deuteronomy 3:23-27, 34:1-8). God has not, does not change, so we must think very soberly and seriously on this information.

    While the book of Leviticus is often regarded as ‘just commands for the Levitical priests,’ the value of the book for us today is this unwavering message: God is holy and must be regarded as holy. You do yourself a huge favour by reading it carefully and taking serious note of this prevailing message.

    Giving God the glory is of utmost importance. Do we approach Him and acknowledge Him as we should? Do we give Him the credit for our abilities, joys, and successes? Do we value Him as worthy of mention? Do we hallow Him in our hearts and conduct as we should?

    If the Lord wills, over the next several weeks, I would like to delve into what it means to give God the glory.

    I hope you will join me as we look into this vital subject together! Let’s learn what it means to glorify God and give Him the glory so we can honour Him and proclaim His praises as we should!

You can do it! So can I!! 

Understanding the Righteousness of God: Our Response

    God is righteous. He set the standard for what is right by being the standard. His righteousness is made known in His in His mercy (lovingkindness), His faithfulness, His judgments, His truth, His words/His Word (Jesus), in the gospel of Christ, in His forbearance to overlook our past sin, and in promising salvation for those who have faith in Christ Jesus and retribution for those who have tormented believers. What God says He will do and nothing, no one, can prevent Him from accomplishing it.  

    When we understand the righteousness of God, what should our response be?

    We should praise it, practice it, and proclaim it.

Praise His Righteousness

    Our Creator, our God, and our Father made us so that we would seek Him; He made us in the hope that we would search for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:26-27). He “rose early” (well beforehand) to tell His people what is right (Jeremiah 7:13, 25, 25:4); He did nothing without telling His prophets, and they in turn would inform the people (Amos 3:7-8). From the beginning of time, God has made His righteousness known, and for that we can and should praise Him!  

“I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” (Psalm 7:17 NKJV) 

Practice His Righteousness

    We must practice the righteousness of God – what He says is right – we cannot make up our own standards for what we think is right and believe that it is okay with God. We must seek His righteousness first and foremost (Matthew 6:33) and make His righteousness our daily practice, only then can we be considered righteous just as He is righteous (1 John 3:7).

“He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honour.” (Proverbs 21:21 NKJV)

 

    Humility and the removal of bad habits are necessary to properly practice righteousness. It can be difficult when you feel like you’re always being told what to do, but when we humble ourselves enough to seek our Creator and come to understand His complete love for us, when we comprehend how much He wants us to find Him and follow Him, and when we realize that all His commands are “for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24-25) that they guide us toward what is beneficial and they guard us from what is harmful, then we will happily put diligent effort into removing bad habits from our lives (Ephesians 4:17-32, James 1:19-20, 3:13-16)

“If you seek [wisdom] as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores us sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil.” (Proverbs 2:4-12 NKJV)

    Humility, coupled with appreciation for God’s loving provision, should lead us to ask God for wisdom when we comprehend that His wisdom is the best wisdom to attain, and that He gives it liberally and without reproach (James 1:5-8, Psalm 25:8-9). Wisdom (putting what we learn from God’s word into practice) will guide us in His righteousness (Proverbs 2:10-12, 8:8-9, 18, 20-21). Seeking the wisdom that is from above and putting it into practice will produce the fruit of righteousness (James 3:17-18).

Proclaim His Righteousness

    As long as time continues God’s people will be able to proclaim God’s righteousness to the next generation because it will always be true and it will always be pertinent (1 Peter 1:25 and Psalm 111).

“A posterity shall serve him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, they will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this.” (Psalm 22:30-31 NKJV) 

    We are to proclaim the praises of God, who called us from darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We should be so full of gratitude for the righteousness of God, so thankful for His constancy, His consistency, and His salvation that we overflow with proclamations of praise for Him! Please take time to read, reread, and meditate on Psalm 145 this week today, and each day this week, as the Lord wills.

“…I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” (Psalm 71:14-18 NKJV) 

    Let’s respond to the righteousness of God with praise from a heart and mind full of appreciation for it, and let us practice His righteousness with a keen determination so that we, through our words and conduct, may proclaim His righteousness to our family and to the world around us!

    God’s way is the best way! Let’s seek first His kingdom and His righteousness every.single.day.

 You can do it! So can I!!