Glorify God

On Sunday, we talked about glorifying God and some of the ways we can do that. Of course, we couldn't possibly cover all of the ways in the course of one worship service, but we highlighted a few.

At the end of the service, I challenged all of you to think about how you could glorify God as you go through your week. I have some further thoughts on that, centered around the "ways" we talked about Sunday.

Worshipping - We glorify God by worshipping Him. Not showing up on Sunday and singing a few songs and hearing a few testimonies. We worship God with our lives. Everything we do can be an act of worshipping God, because the Bible tells us to do everything "heartily as unto the Lord." (Colossians 3:23) So worshipping has something to do with our attitudes as we go through the week. Are you doing your life as an act of worship to the Lord or are you doing it begrudgingly and with an attitude?

Loving - We glorify God by loving others. Jesus told us (John 13:35) that it was by our love for one another that men would know that we are His disciples. By our love, the world sees Christ in us, and that glorifies Him. Anyone can love someone who is kind and thoughtful, but Jesus expects us to love those who are difficult to love. (See Matthew 5) When we do that, we are doing it out of the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. What better way to glorify God than to do something that is impossible to do without Him?

So love that cranky neighbor. Be kind to the lady who cuts in front of you at the bank. Respond in kindness to a boss that does nothing but criticize you. Show patience with the clerk in the store who seems to be taking her sweet time when you're in a hurry. Respond in those situations in a way that glorifies God!

Become Like Christ - When we allow God to change us more and more into His image, we are glorifying Him by reflecting Him. Paul writes, in II Corinthians 3:18, that we reflect the Lord's glory when we are transformed into His likeness. So that would mean that allowing God to work in the deep places of our hearts is a way to glorify Him, because more and more when people look at us, they will see Christ.

So as you go through the week, listen to the Lord and see what it is He wants to change in you. Is He changing an attitude or a habit? Is He stretching you out of your comfort zone in a certain area? Is he changing the way you think or the way you feel? Or your behavior? The more you change to be conformed to His image, the more you glorify God!

Serve Others - God sends us opportunities to serve others, and (going back to our lives being worship) when we take those opportunities to serve, we glorify God. Christ Himself came to be a servant (Mark 10:45), so if we want to glorify Him we need to follow His example and find ways to serve.

So this week, keep your eyes open (and hearts tuned) to find ways to serve others. Can you mow your elderly neighbor's lawn? Can you take a meal to a family with a new baby? Do you know someone who needs a ride? Is there someone that needs a job done that you have the skill to do? Serve others, and it will point to Christ in you because the recipients of your service may very well scratch their heads and wonder "why," and you'll be able to tell them! That brings me to my final point!

Tell Others - When we share the good news of the gospel and the grace that we have received, we glorify God. II Corinthians 4:15 tells us that the grace reaching more and more people may cause "thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God."

So in your kindnesses and your service this week, look for opportunities to verbally point to Jesus as the source! Yes, our light shines. Yes, we reflect His glory. But let's not forget that He also gave us WORDS that can share Christ with others, and glorify God in the process!

Ready, get set, go! Glorify God this week!

So tell me what you're thinking! I love to see your comments. Wish there were more! :)