God, as a good Father, delights to meet the needs of His children. "He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them." (Psalm 145:19).
He knows what we need before we ask. But He wants us to come to Him with our needs. He instructed us to pray even for our daily bread.
He promises "my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
John Newton captured some of these thoughts in his hymn, "Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare":
Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer.
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Rise and ask without delay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
But the Christian life isn't only about getting our needs met and our problems fixed. God is not a cosmic vending machine where we insert prayers, make our choices, and receive everything we ask for.
You've often heard that Christianity is a relationship with God. That's true. John 17:3 says, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
But even within that relationship, the focus of the Christian life isn't on us: it's on God. We acknowledge that He is Lord. We bring our thoughts in line with His. We submit our wills to His.
God created us for His glory: "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:7). He tells us to do all to His glory and to "Let your light so shine among men that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
That might sound strange to us. If we heard a man proclaiming his own glory or asking people to glorify him, we'd wonder who he thought he was.
The difference is, God is the only one who deserves glory. He created the world, the sky, the stars, everything from the tallest mountain to the smallest cell to the farthest celestial body.
He's not only powerful, He is intrinsically good. He's not an egomaniac.
He doesn't need our glory. He has been self-sufficient for all of eternity. He doesn't need anything from us.
So then, why does He want us to glorify Him? Someone has said that God doesn't need our glory, but we need to give it to Him.
There are probably a multitude of reasons God wants us to glorify Him, but here are a few:
To give Him His due. He deserves glory, as we said earlier. He's God. No one can do what He does. ""Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
To express gratefulness. If we were rescued from a burning building by a firefighter, we'd sing his praises for the rest of our lives. How much more should we sing God's praises for all He rescued us from and all He has done for us?
"You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).
"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:20, NKJV).
To avoid false worship. If we're glorifying someone or something else, we'll be led astray. Nothing else is God. Nothing else can help us.
To be transformed. We're changed by beholding His glory. "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sometimes we try to change in every way except by looking to Him.
This doesn't mean that we glorify Him for selfish reasons. But the better we know Him, the more we won't be able to help glorifying, thanking, and praising Him.
To help others know Him. "They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom" (Psalm 145:11-12).
To keep a right perspective. Even when doing things for God and relying on His grace and power, we can be tempted to feel proud of ourselves rather than give glory to Him. Two passages that help me with that are Psalm 115:1 ("Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!) and Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
How do we glorify Him? Once again, there are many ways, but some are:
Acknowledge God for who He is. Romans 1 details the sad decline when people " exchanged the glory of the immortal God" for lesser things.
Praise. "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me" (Psalm 50:23, NKJV).
Pray in Jesus' name. "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13).
Live honorably. "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).
Grow spiritual fruit. "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples" (John 15:8). Verse 4 says this is done as we "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."
Sexual purity. "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Give cheerfully and generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 tells of bountiful giving to others' needs which results in their glorifying God.
Suffer in His name. 1 Peter 4:12-19 tells us not to be surprised when trials come, to rejoice when trials come, to trust their souls to a faithful Creator. Verse 16 says, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."
Honor God with our choices. 1 Corinthians 10 shares considerations to take into account when Christians differ over what's right or wrong in areas not clearly spelled out in the Bible (specifically eating meat offered to idols, but the principles apply to various situations). Instead of clinging to our "rights," we're to consider others' consciences and good. Paul concludes with "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (verse 31).
The glory of God is a subject too big to fit within one blog post, but these truths help me keep my interactions with God from being lopsided towards self.
Which of these reasons for glorifying God most resonates with you? Are there other reasons you can think of, or other ways the Bible tells us to glorify Him?
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