Living for God’s glory, not ours
The term “glory” is used in the Scriptures to describe the one true God. Psalm 24:7 says he is “the King of glory”. Glory refers to God’s beauty, perfection of character, holiness, splendor and majesty. When Moses asked to see God’s glory (Ex.33:18), the Lord told Moses that a full display of his glory would be too much for Moses, or for anyone. Moses was given a limited display. Isaiah also beheld a degree of God’s glory (Is.6:1-4), and when he did so he thought he would be destroyed, being a sinner. Yet, when Jesus entered the world, something wonderful happened. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The revelation of God’s glory in Christ becomes the theme of the New Testament. When Jesus did his first miracle, John wrote: “What Jesus did … was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” The miracles of Jesus showed God’s glory, and even his suffering did too. As the impending day of his crucifixion was approaching, the Lord said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. … 27 It was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:23…27,28).
It is hard for us to wrap our finite minds around it, but the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross displayed the glory of God. He is glorious because he died for sinful and rebellious people. In Jesus, God’s glory was on full display, even in his death, and culminating in his resurrection and ascension. One day, the glory of Jesus will be seen when he returns and rules over the kingdom of God. The transfiguration (Mt.17:1-13) was a preview of that glory to come.
Where does this leave us? God’s glory is so important that God says, “I will not yield my glory to another” (Is.48:11). If that is so, then we ought to make sure that Our purpose is to bring God glory, the glory he is rightfully due. It says in Psalm 96:8, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.” The Psalmist also said, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (Ps.115:1). How do we bring glory to God? We center our lives upon Jesus and His Word. If God’s glory is supremely seen in Christ, then we should make it our goal to know Christ as our Savior and Lord and make it a priority to center our life upon that ongoing relationship with Him. In addition, we are to make it a priority to share the gospel of Christ with others, as this brings glory to God. Furthermore, we should prioritize our relationship with the Lord above all else, and strive for wholehearted obedience to God and his Word. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:31 “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In your job, in your home, in your relationships, in your day to day living, strive to do everything to please God. Despite what our culture might tell us, life isn’t about us! The goal of life is to bring glory to God, not us, and when we make it our priority to glorify God, this results in us experiencing the greatest possible joy!
