Romans 15:5-6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirt, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you have been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”
Isaiah 43:7 “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory.”
It’s a reality check for us: we were not created for ourselves, but for God. It may be a shocker for some, but life is not about us. Yes, we do live life on planet earth and we must go about the task before us, but our purpose is much greater than than that. It is a foundational and rudimentary question, but in order to fulfill our purpose, we must know and accept the fact that we were created FOR GOD! Man thinks that he must go about finding his way, fighting and working foe what he wants; however, he is never truly satisfied because the pursuit he is on does not lead to life to the fullest-instead to leads to death. I saw the title to a sermon from years back and it was “Living to Glorify God.” That title caught my attention. Certainly, every believer would mentally agree that we are to glorify God; but perhaps not see that they were created to glorify God in the way they live. Our very life, the things we do, the things we say, the way we relate to others, the way we spend our time-our very being is to glorify God. This does not mean we have to live in a monastery or go into ‘full time ministry’ in order to glorify God. It does mean that our life will reflect the goodness and glory of God, that He lives is us, that we have been restored to Him, and that He is our life; it means that we can’t take credit for anything but that all praise goes to God. Whatever we do, we can do knowing that His life is flowing in us and out of us and that He is the source of life. We can give glory to God for allowing us to lead a bible study, have a job, build a house, change the oil in our car-literally in all we do. Of course we want to be about doing the things that are pleasing to Him. I think the main point for us today is to know that we were created for Him and that we are not our own. Our true DNA, our true identity, is to glorify the God that loved us and gave His life for us. A few obvious ways we can glorify Him is to praise Him with our lips, obey His word, pray in Jesus name, seek the good of others, give generously, live honorably among others, and enjoy Him. When we truly experience the love of God in our hearts, it is only natural to glorify Him.
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Blessings, Buddy