Glory to God

1. Glory to God – 5th December 2015
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands"(Psalm 19:1)
Glory is very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; It is something
that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; It also refers to adoring praise or worshipful
thanksgiving by giving glory to God. We glorify God for His resplendent beauty or magnificence
which is a state of great splendor, and magnificence. When we glorify God it is a state of
absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, and for the splendor and bliss of heaven.
Honor, praise, renown, distinction - all are words synonymous with glory. As a manifestation of
the work of His hands, all creation brings glory to God. Everything that we see and even things
that we don’t physically see are created by the hand of God. We can read, "God saw all that he
had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth
day"(Genesis 1:31). This is why Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-38, “Jesus replied: “‘Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first
and greatest commandment”. As Christians we need to glorify the mighty God because His
power is manifested daily and displayed through His mighty actions. We can learn in Psalm
111:3, "Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever." We can
also learn in Exodus 15:11, "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you - majestic
in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders" No one can accomplish what God has done
and continue to do. Because, He is above and beyond our comprehension.
Bringing glory to God was the life purpose of Jesus Christ. Following His birth, the angels
declared the glory of God: "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on
whom his favor rests.'" (Luke 2:13-14). Glorifying God, the Father, was Jesus' role on earth. We
can get a deep understanding when Jesus said in John 8:54, "Jesus replied, 'If I glorify myself,
my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claimas your God, is the one who glorifies me”.
Strange as it may sound at first, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is perhaps the greatest display of
God's glory. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
In order that God's purposes from the beginning would be fulfilled, Jesus Christ made the
ultimate sacrifice. He was the atoning sacrifice. He died and rose again three days later in
victory over sin and death. By that act, Jesus set us free from the slavery of sin, so that we
might enjoy eternal life with God in His eternal kingdom by grace and through our faith in Him.
Glory to God is expressed by John as he describes the eternal heaven where he says: "The city
does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the
Lamb is its lamp" (Revelation 21:23). When we read this teaching, we can think to ourselves as
to what a miraculous place heaven will be, illuminated... not by light as we know but by God's
glory!
Believers are called to bring glory to God. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the Apostle Paul exhorts, "So
whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Believers are called
to give glory to God by whatever we say and do. It does not mean that we are adding to the

2. glory God already has. It means we are revealing the glory of God to the world through our
words, actions, lifestyle, and behavior. It also means that we are giving God our praise and
adoration for what He was, what He is and will be!
How can Christians bring glory and praise to our God? We are required to submit to God's will
in all things. As Christians we find ourselves contently seeking more than what we really need
from God. We can learn where Paul teaches us that we are to be content with what God has
given us as stated in Philippians 4:11, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have
learned to be content whatever the circumstances”. We must be content because He is the
omnipresent God who knows exactly what we need and therefor learn to believe in His
provision. In the above passage Paul continues to tell us that we can believe and rely on God for
strength instead of relying on ourselves: “I can do all this through him who gives me
strength”(Philippians 4:13). Further down Paul tells us not to worry, and to have the faith that
God will take care of us: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his
glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19). These are promises that we should believe and learn to
live our lives accordingly.
We can help others and give the glory to God by praising Him with our thoughts and mouths.
Although you may do something good for another, we cannot forget that it was made possible
by God and therefore it is our duty to honor and glorify God for making it possible. Therefore
Paul tells us to be selfless and humble: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each
of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4). We can learn of a great teaching in
Galatians 5:22-23,“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”.
Can one say that any of the above is incorrect and take offense or take you to court for doing
same? All of these are God given ways for us to live a good life as Christians, so that we can
honor and Glorify God by living that way. But we must also know that none of these things are
easy, nor do they come naturally. But through faith in Jesus Christ, and through salvation and
the transformation of our lives, it is made possible. Therefore we must consciously learn to
submit to His will, change our ways so that we may bring glory to God through whatever good
that we do. Instead of hiding ourselves through our sinfulness, we must unveil ourselves to live
in keeping with Gods commands so that we may reflect Gods glory through our good actions.
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit"(2 Corinthians
3:18).