DISCIPLESHIP 9: Living For God's Glory
The Bible says you were created for God, for the purpose of glorifying Him:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
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"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
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Man was created in God's image which gave man a unique capacity to glorify God. However, when Adam sinned, humanity's ability to glorify God was marred. God's purpose in saving you was that you might fulfill your original purpose.
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
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and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
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Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
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God must be the Terminus ad quem, the ultimate end of all actions. - Thomas Watson |
You have been instructed to do everything for God's glory. This means that whatever you do, you need to do it in a way that brings glory to Him. Not just great and mighty things, but everyday activities and circumstances. To do this you need to know what glory is, how God glorifies Himself, and how you are to do so.
What is glory?
God's glory can be understood by looking at the various meanings of the word "glory" found in the Bible. The word has several meanings:
LIGHT - This type of glory describes the light of the sun, moon, and stars:
There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
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It also describes the visible glory of God that led Israel through the wilderness, and was seen by various people in the Bible:
Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, ...
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BEAUTY: This word comes from the hebrew word for a roebuck or gazelle, a beautiful animal:
...He shall stand in the Glorious {Beautiful} Land ...
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MAJESTY - what is thought of as the glory of royalty:
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
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Majestic glory can also describe the awesomeness of creation. The same
word translated majesty in
HONOR - God gave Solomon riches and honor - respect:
"And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor {glory}, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
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You need to give God honor, and you need to value honor more from God than from men:
for they loved the praise {glory, honor} of men more than the praise of God.
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DELIGHTING/BOASTING - or the verb form of honor. It is what you revel or delight in - what you think highly of. Don't boast about yourself but about God:
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," ...
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How does God glorify Himself?
These five different meanings of the word glory: light, beauty,
majesty, honor, and delighting/boasting, can be used to describe the glory
of God. For example, the Bible often speaks of light and darkness as
symbolizing knowledge and ignorance of truth. A dark room can hide many
secrets but turn the light on and everything is made plain. As light
reveals what was previously hidden or unknown, God's glory reveals
something about Himself. It reveals His true nature in a way that you can
see and experience (
When Moses asked to see God's glory in
God is glorified through general and special revelation. General revelation is what we can learn about God from what He has created: the earth and the heavens. Paul says that this type of revelation is available to all men. Anyone can look at creation and see God's power and divine nature...
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
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The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. ...
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God also glorifies Himself through special revelation, which is when He reveals Himself directly. Let's take a look at how God revealed Himself when the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea.
Earlier, God had sent many plagues on Egypt, hardening Pharaoh's heart
after each one for the purpose of glorifying Himself (
Abraham knew God personally; Isaac and Jacob also. But 430 years later,
the Israelites did not. God had not revealed Himself to them. When God met
Moses at the burning bush, Moses had to ask God who He was so he could
tell his people when he returned (
Even after God sent the plagues, the Israelites still did not know God.
They saw His power against Egypt. They saw the pillar of fire and cloud of
smoke. But the people did not know Him yet: they did not trust Him. They
considered Moses as their leader (
God had a plan though. He would harden Pharaoh's heart once more so
that He would be glorified. God would use Pharaoh and his army to make
Himself known (
God told Moses to lead the people to a point on the edge of the Red Sea
where they would not have any apparent way of escape (
"Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
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"And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."
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Moses was "in" on God's plan, but the rest of the Israelites didn't know anything about it. All they knew was that the Egyptians were coming after them and they saw no way of escape. Fear of the Egyptians took them and they panicked:
Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
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However, notice how Moses handles this situation. He draws their attention away from himself and onto God...
And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
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You know what happened next. God rescued His people by parting the Red Sea. After they had all crossed over, God destroyed the Egyptian army who had followed by restoring the sea to normal.
So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
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Suddenly, Israel's eyes were opened and they lost their fear of Egypt. They saw God's glory and they feared God instead, however it wasn't the same kind of fear - it was the fear of respect. They also finally believed and trusted in God. This belief was not just in God's existence, but in His nature and character (i.e. He is for them and will help them - He has the power to do so). God had revealed Himself to Israel in a way that they would remember to this day.
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As the glory of God is the revelation and manifestation of all that He has and is ... , it is said of a Self-revelation in which God manifests all the goodness that is His, - Cremer, quoted in Vines NT page 267 "Glorify". |
How am I to glorify God?
Knowing what glory means and how God glorifies Himself helps you to understand what it means to bring God glory.
To glorify God is to be used to declare, reveal or acknowledge God's character, qualities and attributes (such as love, faithfulness, righteousness, sovereignty, etc.) to others so that He is appreciated and honored. (I say "used" because nobody is capable of doing this in themselves. Perfection cannot be shown through imperfection. When you glorify God, it is God glorifying Himself through you.) This can be understood through the various basic meanings of the word glory:
LIGHT:Light reveals what was hidden. Therefore, to glorify God is to reveal God so others can know Him. The opposite is to hide God's glory; to keep it in the dark. Jesus called us the light of the world, so don't hide your light under a basket or shine it at yourself. Shine it at Jesus.
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"Who are these people?" asked a little girl as she sat with her mother in church. She was looking admiringly at the figures on the stained glass windows, vivified and glorified by the rays of the sun shining through them. "They are saints," replied the mother. As they left the church, the little girl said, "Mother, I now know what a saint is: A saint is one through whom the light shines!" She was right! Even the carnal Christians were designated "saints," but how unsaintly were some of them! How unlike saints do all of us act at times! - W.B.K. |
BEAUTY:To glorify God is to make Him beautiful, desirable,
attractive in the eyes of man. So you are, as much as possible, to
"make God look good." (
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...they cannot raise him in heaven, but they may raise him in the esteem of others here. - Thomas Watson |
MAJESTY:To glorify God is to show others that you recognize God as your Lord and King. It is to make people aware of His awesome power and majesty so they will also fear Him. It is to show public respect and reverence for His name.
HONOR:To glorify God is to show how much you value Him - that you value Him above everything else. It is to honor Him publicly. Worship is the expression and praise is the outward verbal expression of the value (worth) that you have towards God. You are also to declare the honorableness of God; showing what His character is like by modeling it for others.
DELIGHTING/REVELING IN: To glory in God is to delight in Him as the source of your wisdom, strength, wealth, and happiness. It is also to show that you value your relationship with God above everything else.
Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
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It is important to realize that glory is due not only to God the Father, but also to His Son Jesus Christ. This is the job of the Holy Spirit living in you. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said:
"He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
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The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus by making Him known to you. You also need to do the same by making Jesus known to others.
It is important to realize that when you give glory to God, it is God doing the glorifying through you. You cannot reveal God's nature to others on your own because your nature is not comparable to His. God works through you to bring glory to Himself.
Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 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.
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Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, ...
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So, whenever you try to bring glory to God, recognize your part as being a channel of glory, not a source of glory.
There are many ways that you can glorify God:
PRAISE: One of the most obvious ways is to praise God:
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; ...
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Praise is more than just a word. Saying "Praise
God" is not praise itself but merely a call to praise Him. When you
sing songs of praise in church, you're acknowledging His divine
attributes, character, majesty, righteousness, and love, and you're
thanking Him for who He is. You're giving reasons for why you honor God
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THANKS TO GOD: Included in praise is thanking God for what He has done for you.
When you go to a restaurant and thank God for your meal, do it to glorify God, not to show others how religious you are. Acknowledge to God and whoever may see you that it is God who provides for you. Paul says that you are to give thanks at all times:
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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"All times" includes when you are at home, in
church, at work, at school, on vacation, sick in the hospital, or even in
prison (
A HUMBLE ATTITUDE: In order for God to get all the glory that is due Him, be sure that you aren't stealing some of it yourself. Have the attitude of humility. This does not mean thinking that you are worthless. Jesus humbled Himself, but certainly didn't think He was worthless.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
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Humbling yourself includes confession and repentance when you are wrong, submission to God's will, and a willingness to serve others.
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We aim at God's glory, when we are content that God's will should take place, though it may cross ours. Lord, I am content to be a loser, if thou be a gainer; to have less health, if have more grace, and thou more glory. Let it be food or bitter physic if thou givest it me. Lord, I desire that which may be most for thy glory. Our blessed Savior said, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matt 26:39. If God might have more glory by his sufferings, he was content to suffer. - Thomas Watson |
Mohammed Ali said "I'm the greatest!", but Jesus
said John the Baptist was the greatest born of woman (
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"When people follow leaders with servant hearts, the Lord God is exalted. Those people speak of God's person, God's power, God's work, God's name, God's Word ... all for God's glory." - "Improving Your Serve", Charles Swindoll, pg 25. |
To bring the most glory to God, don't detract attention from Him by bringing glory to yourself. Follow the example of Jesus in the gospels. Everything He did was to bring glory to the Father.
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Innuendoes and insults were heaped upon one of our ambassadors by an ambassador of an enemy country. Our ambassador stood unruffled, unperturbed, unangered! At the close of the tirade, he said, "Sir, it makes little difference to me what you think of me. All that matters to me is what the world thinks about the nation I represent!" When we are privileged to suffer shame for Christ's sake, let this be our only concern, that our reactions be such as to cause others to thinks highly of Him, whose ambassadors we are! 2 Cor. 5:20 - W.B.K. |
The same outward actions can be right or wrong depending on the motive. Whatever you do, ask yourself: "Am I doing this to make myself look good or to make God look good?"
TRUSTING IN / RELYING ON GOD: Trusting God glorifies Him because when you take God at His word, you honor Him.
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It is a great honor we do to a man when we trust him with all we have, when we put our lives and estates into his hand; it is a sign we have a good opinion of him. - Thomas Watson |
Abraham's belief glorified God. He trusted God without additional guarantees that God would fulfill His promises.
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God
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Obedience goes hand in hand with trust. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to disobey God by bowing to Nebuchadnezzar's image, they were thrown into the fiery furnace and God glorified Himself because of their faith.
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"Whenever you feel like saying, "I want to do
it my way," remember that Jesus did it His Father's way."
( - Vernon C. Grounds, Our Daily Bread, 4 March 97 |
BEARING SPIRITUAL FRUIT: Jesus said that God is glorified when you bear much spiritual fruit:
"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
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Your sanctification consists of becoming spiritually
mature so that you bear spiritual fruit.
And you need to mature so all spiritual fruit is evident in your life, not just some:
being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
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having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
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Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
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YOUR DIRECT WITNESS: Publicly proclaim the character and nature of God to the world. You can only be a witness of what you have experienced, so tell others what God means to you.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.
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`I cannot think of a greater tragedy in life than to lose the respect of my children. I would be the most humiliated man if my children were ashamed of me. But nothing would make my heart beat faster than if my children pointed me out in a crowd and said proudly, "That's my dad!"' - M.R. DeHaan, M.D., Our Daily Bread, June 15, 1997 (reprint) |
ENDURING SUFFERING: God's glory is more evident in the darkness. Jesus submitted His will to His Father's so that God would be glorified. It was God's will that He die so that you might be saved. You and I also need to be willing to suffer if it means more glory to God.
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
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But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
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A Christian girl found it difficult to be true to her Christian principles where she worked. One day she told her pastor about it. "Where do you put lights? In a bright place?" "Why, no," she said, "in a dark place, to make it light." Then she saw that the Lord had put her in those difficult surroundings, and she resolved to be faithful and let her light shine. - Baptist Standard |
JOYFULNESS: Be joyful. This does not necessarily mean going around with a smile on your face all the time, but your overall attitude should be positive, based on your hope in Christ. You should be happy to serve God.
Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
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It reflects upon a master when the servant is always drooping and sad... when God's people hang their heads, it looks as if they did not serve a good master, or repented of their choice, which reflects dishonor on God. - Thomas Watson |
CHURCH UNITY: God is also glorified through the unity of the church body. Divisions in the church do not reflect God's love and unity. So seek to build your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ up.
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
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Notice that this unity is of a specific type:
"according to Christ Jesus". Some churches teach unity at the
cost of correct doctrine. However we are not to be in unity just with
ourselves, but with the teachings and attitude of Jesus Christ
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Church unity includes loving each other and forgiving each other. We must be seeking to keep our unity in these ways.
Practical Ideas
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We glorify God by being tender of his glory. ... An ingenuous child weeps to see a disgrace done to his father. ... When we hear God reproached, it is as if we were reproached; when God's glory suffers, it is as if we suffered. - Thomas Watson |
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Zeal is impatient of God's dishonor; a Christian fired with zeal, takes a dishonor done to God worse than an injury done to himself. - Thomas Watson |
To bring glory to God, I suggest two areas to consider: preparation and practice.
PREPARATION: This involves three things:
* Attitude: Earnestly desire to glorify God
* Knowledge: Know what glorifies God
* Will: Commit yourself to glorifying God, even when you don't feel like it.
There are a few things you can do to prepare yourself to glorify God. One is to take inventory of the ways God has...
* ... revealed His nature and character to you. What have you learned about God's nature and character through His creation and His Word?
* ... blessed you. Don't forget your family, job, daily food, clothing, a place to live, friends, etc. It helps to keep a diary of your blessings.
* ... shown His love for you. God has forgiven your sins and given you His Holy Spirit. What other evidences of His love for you do you see?
The reason for listing these things is to increase your
appreciation of who God is and what He has done for you. Remember: All
good comes from God (
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To renew your love for Christ, review Christ's love for you. - Joanie E. Yoder, Our Daily Bread, June 30, 1997 |
Prayer is also important to preparation.
* Thank God for His goodness to you. Thank Him for everything you have listed above. And don't just thank Him once but do it regularly.
* Ask Him to show His glory to you, just as Moses asked. Ask Him to reveal His character to you. Ask Him boldly.
* Ask Him to show His glory to others through you.
Study God's nature and character...
* ... as it was shown in the Old Testament to those who trusted in Him (Joseph, Moses, David, Elijah, Daniel, etc.). Study His character in the Law. Study His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel even when they continually sinned against Him.
* ... as it was shown in the life of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. How did He interact with the different people He met? How did He affect their lives? How did He converse with the common sinner? What made Him happy? What made Him sad? What made Him angry? Where were His priorities?
* ... as shown in the Psalms. What is He praised for? How does He help those who trust in Him?
* ... as written about in some of the hymns you sing.
Study how others glorified God...
* ... in the Bible. Study the lives of Daniel and his associates. How did they live their lives (proud or humble)? How did they react to those around them? Where were their priorities? What did they focus on (i.e. the surrounding paganism or obeying and glorifying God)? How did they direct attention to God? What was the effect on those around them, especially Nebuchadnezzar and Darius?
* ...in modern biographies. Read the stories of missionaries who gave their lives for the spread of the gospel. How did they proclaim the message and trust in God? How did God supply their needs?
Plan ahead to glorify God in specific ways, with the intention of putting your plan into action. Decide what you will do. For example, at the job, plan to do your work as if Jesus is your boss.
PRACTICE: That means actually glorifying God in your actual everyday life. As you do so, you should get into the habit of questioning your motives every so often. Whenever you are about to do something (either something new or something you do so regularly you don't think about it anymore), ask yourself:
* "Am I doing this for my glory or God's?" (If you have not been doing it for God's glory, look for ways that you can.)
* "Am I trying to please God or myself?"
* "How can I bring the most glory to God in this situation?"
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A well-known owner of a chain of hotels endeavors to render the best of service to the guests in his hotels. He often says to his employees, "Remember, my reputation is in your hands!" In a sense, Christ's reputation is in our hands. Others will judge Him by those who profess to know Him and serve Him. - W.B.K. |
* If you are at a loss on how to bring God glory in any given situation, try applying the different meanings of the word glory. For example, ask yourself "How can I make God look good here?" or "How can I model God's character?" Also, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"
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A new book in Islam, The Call of the Minaret, says that Mohammedanism "developed in an environment of imperfect Christianity." Christian failure, says the author, made Islam possible - a failure in love, in purity, in fervor, and a failure of the spirit. - W.B.K. |
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A missionary who had been in Africa for many years was assigned to a new tribe. Immediately he began to preach Jesus. As he spoke of Jesus' healing, helpful ministry, the natives said, "Why we know Him! He used to live here!" "Oh, no," said the missionary, "He never lived here. He died some two thousand years ago. But He arose again and is now in heaven!" The natives, however, insisted that they knew Him. Here's why: years before, a missionary had lived in this tribe. He lived so like Christ among them that when the second missionary came preaching Christ, the natives thought he was talking about the missionary who had lived among them. - W.B.K. |
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Christianity was at a very low ebb in our camp when along came Oswald Chambers, with a positively unquenchable spirit alight in his face, a habit of taking the lowliest for himself, and a clear-cut personality that impressed one very much. I well remember his first night at the hut. His predecessor had found it necessary to plaster the walls with notices such as - `Please remember you are in a Y.M.C.A. hut and don't use bad language.' `A short prayer meeting will be held in the Secretary's cubicle each evening at 8.45' (this meeting naturally never took place.) `Bring back that pen,' etc., etc. All those notices came down. It was never necessary to ask the men not to swear when Mr. Chambers was about. The prayer meeting came out of its hole in the corner into the light, and flourished accordingly. That first evening at 8.30 Mr. Chambers mounted the platform and in a voice that could have been heard the other side of the camp, and which rang through the spiritually dead atmosphere of our hut, announced that prayers would be held in a quarter of an hour, and that he was giving the men due warning so that they could get out if they liked. And they did get out - all of them, but prayers were held, and the next evening one or two stayed, and soon quite a number stayed regularly. Then gradually one noticed a change come over the hut. His table was always busy, men thronged about him for a talk, and I have many a time seen a man's face light up with astonishment and pleasure at being treated to so much kindness and help. And spiritually things were going ahead. ... Only a week or two after his arrival... the hut was packed with a large audience... - Theo. Atkinson, in Oswald Chambers - His Life And Work |
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There comes to most men engaged in building the Kingdom of God the temptation to steal a few bricks; consequently those who should be worshipping God frequently worship the man who led them to God, and many allow this deflected worship. But Oswald Chambers was an honest builder, one of the truest and wisest it has been my privilege to know. If you caught a glimpse of God through his message, he was not satisfied until you had seen further. It was useless to lean on the arm of Oswald Chambers for spiritual support, for his athletic soul was too concentrated on the track along which he ran towards God to give time to cementing any dangerous spiritual attachments. Most of those who knew him had to spring to keep up with him; and yet he did not appear to be running at all. He was always at leisure from himself. He gave himself, and you left his leisure feeling that he had given more than himself, he had given a new impetus toward God. - Rev. E. Pester, in Oswald Chambers - His Life And Work |
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... I think if I have an ambition, it is just that - to have honourable mention in anyone's personal relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ. - Oswald Chambers - His Life And Work |