Do We Glorify God

Do We Glorify God

1 Cor. 10:31

Prayer

Introduction

Have you noticed that in our society today people are so pre-occupied with self-glorification? Too many times people want glory just for themselves.

Sometimes football players score a touchdown and do a dance wanting everyone to applaud them and their greatness.

Sometimes baseball players hit a homerun and prance around the bases. They want the crowds to worship and adore them.

If we want to stay on the right road, we need to seek to glorify God with our lives.

I was looking at the full moon a while back. So full, so bright. Then I realized it is only bright because of the sun. In our lives, we need to reflect the light and glory of God in our lives.

I. Why are we to glorify God?

a. Because He created the universe.

i. Everything is created by Him.

ii. Because of that we owe Him our worship and our praise. We can’t create anything on our own. We can build but we cannot create anything out of nothing. While God can and has created everything our nothing.

b. We are to give Him the glory because He is our God.

i. He created us

ii. Were specified designed to worship and glorify God.

iii. We give Him the glory because we love Him

iv. We give Him the glory because He saved us.

II. How are we to glorify Him?

a. We know that everything is lawful for us. Yes we can buy that beer and drink it but does that edify us or glorify God. What does the purchase of alcohol by a disciple do for their testimony? Does it build it or tear it down?

i. Our actions, our words, either lift up our testimony or it will tear it down. If our actions tears down our testimony than we can not glorify God.

ii. If the purchasing of alcohol tears down, harms or destroys our testimony we are not to do it even though it is lawful for us to do it.

b. We glorify God when we show concern for others.

i. When we give to the poor

ii. When we support missions with time or money

iii. When we share the Gospel with others

III. When are we to give Him glory.

a. In everything that we do

i. When we speak whether it is to our family, friends, fellow workers, or strangers we are to speak in a way to glorify God.

ii. When we eat we are to glorify God by lifting His name up in praise.

iii. In our actions. What ever we do we are to do it to bring glory unto the Lord. If it will not be for His glory then we are not to do it.

IV. Conclusion.

a. We truly live in the age of self and ego. When you stop to think about it, a good part of our day every day is spent trying to look good. We get up in the morning and we shower and shave. For the ladies among us we have the further distinction of make-up. We choose our clothes mostly based on what others might think of us, not how we actually feel in them. If clothing styles had anything to do with comfort or utility why would department stores shelves be so filled with tight-fitting jeans that are constrictive by design and as revealing as possible. Instead of attaching above the waist-line where God put the hips upon which we could conveniently and in utility hang our clothing, we opt to attach them across the hips so that more of our “self” shows, abandoning any sense of comfort or utility in favor of ego and appearance. We go to work thus constricted and make every effort to glorify ourselves further. We strive to impress and cater to those around and above us. Heaven help us if we should slip up and actually make a mistake in the process. It is almost like being on stage for eight to ten hours and then we go home, to the most important people in the world, abandon our finery and drop our pretense to don the shabbiest clothing we own and “be ourselves.”

It truly seems to be all about “me” and less about “you.” Each day is one more day of self-absorption and getting to know “who we really are.” When you think about it, I guess it is quite natural in light of who we “really” are. Bombarded daily by the world, our flesh and Satan, retreating into a world of self-interest and self-glorification is really quite natural. Our flesh would surely be comfortable in that it is best served when all attention is focused upon it. Satan has always elevated “self” to its very highest level; for it was with “self” that he first tempted Eve and it was for “self” that Adam consented to sin. It is only natural that our days would be filled with “self” as steeped in sin as we are.