For His Glory
It is a good thing for Christians to think consciously about how they glorify God with their lives. It is one of those things that we have to do intentionally. We never bring glory to God by accident. All of our natural impulses and responses draw attention to the natural world (usually ourselves) rather than to God. I think of all the clever remarks that I have made during other people’s presentations. Those comments weren’t premeditated, merely instant reactions to what was said or done, but in every case, they were about drawing attention to myself. They had nothing to do with the glory of God.
As I attempt to live a life which glorifies God I see that I need to be purposeful about it. Since it is not going to happen by accident, I had better be thinking about what glorifies God. Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is obedience and that certainly is a significant factor in bringing glory to God with our lives.
We must be obedient in two ways. Firstly, we need to be obedient in what we know He specifically requires of us. Secondly, we need to obey in those vaguer areas where interpretation is necessary. We do our best to discern what He wants from us and we seek to do it, but our motivation is obedience. It is not self-interest, or stretching the limit of what we can get away with. Even when we aren’t 100% sure of God’s specific will, we seek to glorify Him with our lives.
Obedience goes a long way in fulfilling our purpose of glorifying God, but it is not enough. We also glorify God when we celebrate the intimacy of our relationship by enjoying Him. God chose to reveal Himself as the Father which prompts me to mention this by way of illustration. When I ask one of my children to do some little task around the house and they respond with immediate obedience, I feel honoured and respected.
However I know that sometimes they obey me with a really bad attitude. That is disturbing. It is not so honouring, because I know that while their outward behaviour conforms to my request, inside they are not honouring me.
I enjoy it much more when I have a clear sense that whatever my child is doing with me, he or she is really enjoying being with me, watching, learning and helping. I submit to you that without bringing God down to our human level in any way even, He is looking for this kind of responsiveness on our behalf on an emotional level. He wants us to find pleasure in His company to enjoy being conscious of His presence.
Even as I am thinking about this as I talk to you, I can’t help but smile because I am sensing God’s presence. I am consciously aware that what I am doing right now is pleasing God, not just because He has given me a job to do and I am doing it, but because I am enjoying Him.
Sometimes as I sit in a church service or some other meeting of Christians, I observe what is going on around me. Some people will be fully engaged: singing heartily, perhaps with their hands turned palms up at waist height (if not up in the air). One knows that in other circumstances they would have their hands over their heads. Though they may be exhibiting a little restraint on the outside, on the inside they are reaching out to God both to present themselves and to receive from Him.
Yet two rows back, to the right is sitting someone who is totally disengaged; bored; there out of obligation of some kind. They are not connected at all and are not enjoying the presence of God which the person two rows forward to the left is reveling in. Everyone else is somewhere along the line between these two.
But I know what glorifies God and that is being fully engaged with Him; enjoying Him intensely; obeying Him fully. But rather than obedience being the primary goal, it flows out of the love and the desire to please that springs up within us when we sense God is near.
So when you think about glorifying God with your life today, remember it is not just about obedience it is about enjoying Him.
Ron Hughes
© March 2007
