If It Is “No Longer I Who Live” Why Am I Seeking Glory from Man for What I Do?

    As we bring this 8-week study to a close, I would like you to consider the counteractivity of proclaiming “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) while elbowing your way to the forefront, effectively pushing Christ out of the way, to receive the glory and accolades for what you have done with the blessings from the Lord.

    We have come to understand that the life of a Christian is one of sacrifice. We sacrifice our old ways (sinful habits, Romans 6:1-14, Ephesians 4:17-24, Psalm 1:1-3), and as we follow Jesus’ example and walk in His steps (1 Peter 2:21, 1 John 2:16), we make the necessary changes and sacrifices to come into line with God’s Word; we become “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1-2). Jesus said that to follow Him we must first “deny self” (learn selflessness, no longer focused on earthly things, Colossians 3:1-17), then we “take up [our] cross” (never to return to our former life), and follow Him (Matthew 16:24-26).

    When we seek after glory and praise from man for validation we miss out. We miss out on the quiet, calm assurance of knowing that God is pleased with our efforts; pleased with how we have used the things He has blessed us with. We miss out on the increase of strength and motivation that comes from God as we labour in doing good to all (2 Corinthians 9:8, Galatians 6:9-10), and we miss out on the development of the confidence-building trust in His promises (Hebrews 11:6).

    When we truly let Christ live in us, we will humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, just as Jesus did (Philippians 2:5-8), wholly trusting that He will exalt us in due time (1 Peter 5:5-6).

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God…. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:13-14, 16-17 NKJV)

    If you wear the name of Christ and truly let Him live in you, sacrifice your desire for man’s temporary praise and momentary applause. Seek after God’s praise, desire His true and lasting exaltation. Give Him the glory for your life, your abilities, and your blessings (both physical and spiritual). Use all that He has granted you to be a benefit to others and direct all the glory to Him for His generous goodness toward all mankind (Matthew 5:16, Psalm 16:2). Live your life to His standard, not mans. The hope of receiving praise from God – “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) – is worth every effort and every sacrifice!

You can do it! So can I!! 

Pleasing God or Man?

    In our study about learning to love praise from God more than from man, we have come to realize that desiring praise and accolades from man to validate our efforts (good works, teaching, etc.) soon turns us into a puppet controlled by their whims and fancies: What they want to hear we speak, what they don’t want to hear we avoid. The Truth is exchanged for a lie – one that changes to suit the current situation – so that no one is offended or feels “judged.”

Note: Man’s opinions (aka notions and whims) can and will fluctuate. You can please someone one day and find that very same thing does not please them another day – seeking everyone’s approval is a downward spiral, a slippery slope that takes you far from the proper path. God’s expectation (made known through His word, His commands and instructions) is constant; we can know what will please Him and it will not change.

    Do you ever find yourself avoiding bringing God into the conversation with for example, your unbelieving husband, your wayward children/grandchildren, or maybe it’s your neighbours, coworkers, friends, or other relatives, for fear that they may turn on you? You see an opportunity and you want to advise them in God’s way but to avoid a scene you don’t speak out? I’ve been there, too. Generally, we don’t like making people feel uncomfortable and we don’t like when people don’t like us or like being around us, so we avoid ‘touchy’ subjects. It is a fear that in reality causes us to be self-serving, so that we don’t feel uncomfortable or unwanted in these situations.

“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)

    When we are truly living as a bondservant of Christ – a servant who chooses to stay and serve (Deuteronomy 15:12-17) – we will live and breathe the Truth, desiring daily to increase our knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding; through reading, study, and application. We will find that when we don’t share it, it will burn inside of us (consider prophet, Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 20:7-11 ), so we will pray for opportunities and for purity of heart so that when we do speak it will be with tenderness and care (Colossians 4:5-6, Ephesians 5:15-17), and when we share God’s word we will do so with the courage and strength He provides (Ephesians 3:15-16, 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, considering also John 15:18-20). We will promote Him to the world through our words and deeds so that they, too, may come to the Light and gain hope beyond this life. We will learn to love the souls in the world because God loves them and desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4); He is longsuffering - with them and with us – that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

When we serve God, we seek to persuade men of His way.

When we serve ourselves, we seek to persuade God of our way.

    God will bless you for taking a stand for Him, for declaring His greatness, for giving Him the credit for your life and hope! Seek His blessing and give others the opportunity to gain lasting peace, don’t be content with the self-serving, temporary ‘comfort’ of unspoken words that bring only a false sense of peace.

    Are you confident in God’s way? Have you tried it His way and proven that His will is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2)? Do you wholly believe that God’s way – as found in the Bible - is the best way and the only way that leads home to Him? Don’t let the fear of upsetting people prevent you from giving loving advice from His word. Please don’t let possible embarrassment stop you from inviting someone to church services.

You can do it! So can I!!   

Are We Seeking Our Glory or God's Glory: Reconciling Matthew 5:14-16 and 6:1-4

    How do you “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16) and yet “take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1)? I was asked this question by an older woman, a long-time Christian, and I think that the query is a good fit with this study, so let’s dig in for the answer.

    Both of these commands were given by Jesus, they were both part of the lesson He taught His disciples on the mountainside (Matthew 5:1). We know Jesus speaks the words of the Father (John 12:49) and with God there is no contradiction nor error (Psalm 12:6, 19:7-11; 119:140, 160). So what is the answer? 

    I believe that it comes down to our heart’s motivation – are we serving God or are we serving ourselves?

    God called us (by the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We walk in the light of the Lord as “children of light,” finding out what is acceptable to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-14). We find out what is acceptable to God as we learn His will and way (reading and study) and “by reason of use” (application, being a hearer AND a doer, James 1:21-25) our senses are trained to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14). Jesus tells us that we do not light a lamp and then cover it with a box; we light a lamp so “that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33-36). We do not hide it away in selfishness or shame (Galatians 2:20); we let it benefit others who need it (consider John 3:19-21) – we are lights along the narrow path that leads to our heavenly home – we do good to promote God and His way to the world lost in darkness.

    When we shine in God’s marvelous light, avoiding evil and doing what is good and right on a daily basis, inevitably our light will be seen by others. Now we may or may not ever know of the positive impact of our good works, meaning we may not be approached by others who say, “I saw that,” “That was a good thing you did,” or ”I thank God for you” because we simply see opportunities to help and we do them. We are not respecters of persons or places (whether stranger, friend, or enemy, Matthew 5:43-48, 25:34-46), we do good for God’s sake, knowing the blessings He has granted us are above and beyond anything we could ever hope for, knowing that He has blessed us with the resources to give cheerfully of ourselves and/or our means (2 Corinthians 9:7-11), and that all that He gives is in such abundance that we cannot help but share it (consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our good works are a love letter of gratitude to God for all that He has blessed us with; it speaks volumes of our trust in His promised provision, and proves to both our own selves and others that His will and way is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2)!

    It is when we make good works or ‘charitable deeds’ about us, promoting ourselves to the world – “Look at me! I’m doing a good work!” “This will look great on my resume!” “You’re taking a photo for the paper? Oh, yes, let me get in the front row. Oh, and my name? Yes, it’s C, A, T…..” That is where the problem lies. Pomp, ceremony, spotlights. The need to be seen so that others look at us with awe, and maybe even reverence, for our ‘Christian-ness.’

    Do you serve God or yourself?

    Jesus says to do your good works “in secret” (Matthew 6:3-4), with a sincere wish that God will receive the glory for the good you are able to do. Quietly do good to show appreciation and thanksgiving for God’s benefits (Psalm 68:19). And if you do receive praise from someone who happened to see your good deeds, give God the glory; tell them that it is because of His blessings that you were able to help, because of His instruction your eyes were open to the need.    

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!! 

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!! 

Flourish in Giving God the Glory

    Consider clay for a moment. If the lump of clay was to say to the sculptor, “I can do this on my own; I don’t need you,” what is going to happen? That lump will not gain any help from the world around it, quite the opposite; and try as it might, having no capacity within itself to change, it will remain as it is and become hardened.

    But the clay that submits to the water applied by the sculptor, knowing it is being prepared for something greater, endures the pressures applied by the sculptor’s careful hands and allows itself to be transformed from a lump to a beneficial vessel.

    God is our Creator – our Sculptor, if you will – and we are the clay. This is an oft used illustration in the Bible. Read and consider Isaiah 29:15-16; this is the clay that says it doesn’t need the Sculptor. But we, who have submitted to the Sculptor, and to the water He has provided (waters of baptism, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 6:3-4, 1 Peter 3:21), are being transformed under the properly applied pressure of God’s wise and loving hands (Hebrews 12:3-11, Ephesians 4:17-24) into beneficial people. And even as sculpted clay must go through fire (kiln) to be complete, so must we also endure the fiery trials of life – the testing of our faith – but in the end we will receive the salvation of our souls (read and think on 1 Peter 1:3-9).

“But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8 NKJV)   

     As we have already learned in this study, we must first, give ourselves to God, because without God we can do nothing, and it is only with Him that we have access to the life-changing blessings that He bestows in mercy and kindness toward us (Ephesians 1:3-14, 1 John 4:9-10). Second, we must learn to give thanks to God. He is our Creator and Sustainer, our goodness is nothing apart from Him (Psalm 16:2); we must develop an attitude of gratitude that declares daily – and many times throughout each day – our praise and thanksgiving for all He has done, continues to do, and promises to do!

    If you do not give ourselves to God and trust His word, if we do not appreciate all that He is and all that He does and learn to give thanks to Him in everything, then we will not be able to do what is decreed throughout the Bible: give glory to God.

“Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:1-2 NKJV)

glory (Greek: doxa) means good opinion, praise, honour.  

    In reference to God it carries with it a declaration of God’s intrinsic worth and worthiness. All that God does gives rise to praise and our good opinion – everything He does is only ever for our good – our natural response to such loving goodness is to give praise and glory for such.

 “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:3 NKJV)

How to Give Glory to God:

    Abraham gave glory to God when He did not waver at God promises through unbelief – he wholly trusted and was fully convinced of God’s faithfulness, His power, and His capability – and was strong in faith (Romans 4:20-21). Abraham declared God, His worth, and His worthiness to be trusted and obeyed, by trusting and obeying Him! When we, like Abraham, wholly trust and obey God, we prove “what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2) and exhibit God’s wisdom to those around us.

    In Luke 17:11-19, one leper (one among ten others who were healed by Jesus), returned to Jesus, and with a loud voice glorified God, fell down at Jesus’ feet, and gave Him thanks. Jesus said, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? Arise, go your way, your faith has made you well.” So giving glory to God involves faith, and it also includes turning to God in humbleness, proclaiming His praise for what He has done, and giving thanks to Him for the same. When we, like the leper, are helped, we should also have a heart like his that desires to immediately run to the Source of our help, joyfully proclaim His praises on the way, and fall to our knees before Him in thanksgiving.

    When we come to know who God is and who we are before Him we will understand that without Him we were hopeless (Ephesians 2:11-13), it is He who made us and not we ourselves (Psalm 100:3), and it is He who daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19). These truths should motivate us to glorify Him by strengthening our faith, and by choosing to wholly trust Him and obey Him each day; it should fill our hearts with thanksgiving, and praise should spill over our lips in gratitude! These truths should cause us to joy in running to God, they should bring us to our knees in humble gratitude for His unfailing love and compassion! These truths should keep us from craving praise from men for what good we may accomplish (consider Matthew 6:1-4), and instead compel us to direct all praise and thanksgiving to God (Matthew 5:14-16) because He is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17); it is He – and it always will be He, who deserves both the credit and the glory!

    We were once like lowly lumps of clay, but by submitting to God’s sculpting, we are now able to do good works (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 9:8) and be beneficial people (Titus 2-3, Galatians 6:9-10)! Give God the glory – and proclaim His praises – for transforming your life and sculpting you into a woman with talent and ability to benefit others, a women who humbly obeys God and proclaims His praises (1 Peter 2:9), and one who can endure beautifully to the end!

You can do it! So can I!!