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“Do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 TLB)

 

INTRO - A PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Recently the Lord has emphasized to me that in my heart, as I’m seeking to live as a disciple and pray every day: that His glory has to be the ‘end’ goal of all I do, and my highest motive.

 

AN ILLUSTRATION

Many years ago, I met a man who was an IT manager at a company.  He really liked me, and asked if I'd be interested to come work for him.  But it wasn't exactly straightforward: this company had policies and some things in place which didn't make it easy for him to just "bring in whoever he wanted."  From his side, it took months of working behind the scenes and negotiating to try to bring me on.  I had to go through interviews like everyone else, but he was doing everything he could from his side to help.

 

When I got the phone call from him that I was officially offered the job, he said, "You got lucky.  There was one other really sharp guy who did very well on the interview.  But the board members liked you better."  I started work shortly after that at my new company.  But I carried with me the knowledge of the fact that this man worked and sacrificed from his side to bring me in there.  And that the board members of this company chose me over another person who was probably more qualified and better at the job.

 

With that in mind, you can imagine how I entered this company.  First of all - it was obviously God Himself working behind the scenes, to open doors that (from an earthly perspective) shouldn't have been opened for me. I had a sense of, "I don't deserve to be here."

 

Secondly - I had a sense of debt toward my new manager, and the labor he had to do on my behalf to bring me on, because he favored me.  I know that The Lord put this favor in his heart, and at the same time I felt an obligation that I wanted to honor my boss by doing a really great job, with a good attitude.  Whenever I thought of that, it always spurred me on.

 

 

THE GLORY OF GOD

Lately, the thought of God's glory has been on my heart.  And in the same way that I often thought of my boss's undeserved favor which I had as I worked, and it made me want to please my boss, I've been asking myself, "Am I living with God's glory in mind, to please Him above all?"  After all of the undeserved favor God has given me - have I now sought to give it 'back to Him' in return? And specifically, this verse:

 

Isaiah 62:6-7 "...You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; And give Him no rest until He establishes And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

 

I keep having this thought come to mind: My circles - my life, my home, my church have to be a praise to God in this earth!

 

Who wrote this verse?  God Himself is saying through Isaiah, "Don't give Me rest, until I make YOUR people a praise to MY name on the whole earth."

 

I saw how I was praying recently, and I felt I was praying good prayers which were God's will (overcoming sin, being filled with the Holy Spirit, unity, the salvation of others, for example)... but I can't honestly say that I had God's glory, satisfaction and pleasure in mind that much (perhaps I wanted peace for myself... or the satisfaction of overcoming... or rest from being 'sick and tired' of my sin, or the satisfaction of knowing another person is doing well in the Lord).  I believe I should desire many of these things, but to what end?  I saw that my highest motive should always be, "Lord, you deserve the glory and the praise. I want you to be pleased - may Your name be a praise here in these circumstances."

 

In the same way I went to work, with a humility (recognizing I didn't deserve to be there), and a deep desire of debt that I owed my manager, I saw that - the Lord deserves my life itself.  I want Him to gain something from my life, since He gave me His.

 

As I was meditating on these things, the Lord confirmed it for me in prayer by reminding me of how the Lord taught us to pray:

 

Matthew 6:9-10 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven."

 

 

PRIORITY

For a long time I was starting my prayers with myself.  But I see so clearly from the Lord's prayer: our priority (what Jesus started with) should be exactly 2 things:

 

1. God's glory

2. God's will

 

This is exactly how the Lord taught us to pray.  "Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done." Nothing of self, but all God's glory and His will.

 

 

MOTIVE

Consider for a moment your current burdens that you’re bringing to the Lord in prayer - prayers you have committed to persist in every day.  Question: is God’s glory any part of the motive of why you have been praying specifically for these?

 

This question has stayed with me for some time, and helped me to make sure my ambition is right.  It’s too easy to labor for “good” things with the wrong motive.

 

Why are we working to cleanse ourselves from sin?

Why do we try to treat our family right and control our tongue better?

Because God deserves the glory!

 

Why are we working to overcome the love of the world (loving money, cell phone addiction, lust for the next comfort)?

 

It's because God deserves the glory!

 

Do we praise God for the answered prayer, but pray with no thanksgiving before the prayer is answered? Are we praying only so we can get the answer, or is God’s glory any part of my reason for praying?

 

Why do I pray for unity in the home? Why do I pray for the salvation of my children?  God deserves the glory in our family and in our home!

 

Why do we labor as a body to build the church? Is it to have a nice group of people to meet with?  God deserves the glory!

 

Why do we surrender to God's will in every trial and temptation? Why did our Lord Jesus Himself surrender to the cross!?

 

It is always the glory of God!

 

 

And at the end - this consuming ourselves with God's glory actually loosens our hand on specific outcomes, because now our prayer is: even if God doesn't answer what we're praying for in the way I’m thinking, if He can get more glory doing something else in His way, then that really is what matters.  And we can pray with a single-minded ambition: Lord, your will be done - for your glory.

 

 

CONCLUSION

A false Christianity says, “Accept Jesus so you can go to Heaven!”, and stops there.

 

But Jesus said:

 

"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." (John 15:8)

 

It's for God's glory that we are not content with a nominal, average Christian life, but 'press on to perfection' (Hebrews 6:1)!

 

By God’s grace, for God’s glory.

 

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭36‬)