What does it mean to give God glory?

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In today’s daily reading, the first passage is Psalm 115:1,

Not to us, LORD, not to us,
but to your name give glory
because of your faithful love, because of your truth.

But what does it mean to “give God glory”?

I’ll share a few thoughts, and then I want to hear what you think!

First, it means we recognize God as God:

  • Prayer: Regularly talk to God, thanking him for his provision and asking him for help.
  • Time: Spend time with God in prayer and Bible study.
  • Transformation: Make God your highest priority by listening to God more than anyone else.

Second, it means that we live with integrity as God’s people:

  • Live by grace: Instead of trying to impress God, we receive his forgiveness and love.
  • Trusting God: Believe that God’s ways are best.
  • Obey God: Do what God says to do and don’t do what God forbids.

Third, we use the gifts God has given us to serve others:

  • Love your neighbors: Be kind and helpful to others.
  • Faithful work: Work hard, do your best, do what’s right.
  • Volunteer: Help out at church or in the community.

Fourth, we are excited to talk about God with others:

  • Share God’s greatness: Tell others about God’s goodness and glory.
  • Share your stories: Talk about how God has changed your life.
  • Point to God’s Word: Encourage others to read the Bible to learn about God.

Fifth, we trust God when life is hard:

  • Rely on God: Turn to God for strength when life is hard.
  • Share your struggles: Talk to God and trusted friends about your problems.
  • Faithfulness: Follow God’s ways especially when it is hard.

Those are some ideas from me. What do you think?

How would you describe what it means to give glory to God?

What’s one area of your life where you want to glorify God?

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When we live our lives in a way that glorifies God and seek to be His servants, we leave a legacy with the fingerprints of God written all over. We will be humbled that He chose the weak things of this world for His glorious plan. People will see God’s provision, grace, sustenance of His plans beyond man’s imagination and give God the glory. I am thinking of ministries started in different parts of the world by certain missionaries that are still bearing fruit. This happened in biblical times but also in modern times. There are many examples which we can easily lose sight of when we are narrowly focused on just our limited local experiences.

Today, I was reminded by a friend from Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore - India, of an American missionary to India, Dr. Ida Scudder, who started the teaching hospital in1918 and unto this day they are still seeing the fruit of her labor, its impact of changed lives in the quality of care given to patients, the Christian spirit and values that still prevail in this hospital staff and church plants by those changed. Its inspiring how obedience to God continues to bear fruit over one hundred years later! God’s glory in it is very evident!

How do we get to be a part of God’s plan? By a prayerful relationship with the Lord where we trust without a doubt that He is there. We have to see clearly in order to walk in a godly manner in our specific situation and that will only happen by taking God at His Word and at His promises. Its complete TRUST!

I dont know how many opportunities we miss to do God’s work as a result of doubting God and His Word, even after trusting Jesus for salvation. I know I have. How much do we try God’s patience? How much do we take His grace for granted? How long will it take to tame our habits we have got accustomed to? Yes, God graciously forgives us for all our time of wandering, but twenty-thirty years later we could be disappointed when our faith makes very little difference and we miss out on God’s plan. May we be granted grace to live in the knowledge of His will and the strength to walk in obedience to bring Him glory. May we encourage one another to do our part.

To give God glory we have to simply choose to walk with Him daily, no compromises.

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