The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Peter 4:11,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
This passage tells us to speak and act in a manner that God may be praised through Jesus Christ. This is how God is glorified among us. Merriam-Webster defines "glorify" as to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise or admiration.
The glorification of God is a vital aspect to the agenda of God's redemption of mankind. We don't glorify God because he needs our admiration or that he may be emotionally needy, that he may be somehow incomplete within himself and requires something from us to be fulfilled within himself, some bizarre need for affirmation from us.
Quite the opposite. From the pages of Scripture (through which God reveals himself to us) we find that God is well beyond perfectly complete and fulfilled within himself. He does not require anything at all from us! As a happy, joyful, pleased and fully satisfied God within himself, he has determined he wants to make a family for himself out of those among mankind that will embrace him.
As God pursues us for his family, his kingdom, he goes more than half way to draw us to himself. A means, among many, by which he does this is he generates "a buzz" about himself that hopefully causes those who have yet to embrace him with an interest to see what the fuss is all about. This is clearly a major theme in the book of Psalms where God's magnificent character and nature are on full display, where God's amazing deeds are proclaimed. The book of Psalms was written to be shared.
The appropriate and Scripturally-based glorification of God dispels disinterest and indifference. After all, if what we read in our Bibles about God is true, and that truth be given legs by our enthusiastic, ardent and breathless proclaiming of it, others will take note!
Where the glorification of God may have other intended purposes as well, it is my perspective that the notion that the chief end of man is to glorify God is somewhat shortsighted. Glorifying God is a very important means to achieve God's grand agenda for this life we live in: redemption! God is drawing us to himself!
I would offer that the chief end of man is to find God in this life and rapturously enjoy him for all eternity in the next! Glorifying God is a means to that end. The next time you read the book of Psalms, see if you don't agree.
This passage tells us to speak and act in a manner that God may be praised through Jesus Christ. This is how God is glorified among us. Merriam-Webster defines "glorify" as to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise or admiration.
The glorification of God is a vital aspect to the agenda of God's redemption of mankind. We don't glorify God because he needs our admiration or that he may be emotionally needy, that he may be somehow incomplete within himself and requires something from us to be fulfilled within himself, some bizarre need for affirmation from us.
Quite the opposite. From the pages of Scripture (through which God reveals himself to us) we find that God is well beyond perfectly complete and fulfilled within himself. He does not require anything at all from us! As a happy, joyful, pleased and fully satisfied God within himself, he has determined he wants to make a family for himself out of those among mankind that will embrace him.
As God pursues us for his family, his kingdom, he goes more than half way to draw us to himself. A means, among many, by which he does this is he generates "a buzz" about himself that hopefully causes those who have yet to embrace him with an interest to see what the fuss is all about. This is clearly a major theme in the book of Psalms where God's magnificent character and nature are on full display, where God's amazing deeds are proclaimed. The book of Psalms was written to be shared.
The appropriate and Scripturally-based glorification of God dispels disinterest and indifference. After all, if what we read in our Bibles about God is true, and that truth be given legs by our enthusiastic, ardent and breathless proclaiming of it, others will take note!
Where the glorification of God may have other intended purposes as well, it is my perspective that the notion that the chief end of man is to glorify God is somewhat shortsighted. Glorifying God is a very important means to achieve God's grand agenda for this life we live in: redemption! God is drawing us to himself!
I would offer that the chief end of man is to find God in this life and rapturously enjoy him for all eternity in the next! Glorifying God is a means to that end. The next time you read the book of Psalms, see if you don't agree.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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