1 Cor 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” NIV
One day, God asked me: “So, Rob. Are you doing everything to my glory?”
That’s when I realized that most of my activities and decisions were not geared towards God’s glory!
All too often I make decisions on the spur of the moment, not even thinking about whether or not God will be glorified though my decisions.
Do we need of a tent trailer? Great! Let’s get one! Am I admiring a good Christian book? Why not buy it?
But how was I giving glory to God through these decisions? Shouldn’t I be consulting Him first? Wouldn’t It glorify Him if I placed Him first in all things, even in decision-making?
I had always been aware of two groups of people who didn’t put God first–whose gods were themselves:
1. The unsaved. Rom 1:28-32 “Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care — worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!” (from THE MESSAGE) These people are glorifying in their sins, trying to outdo one another.
2. The religious. Luke 18:11-12 ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ NIV These people know of God, but don’t know God personally. To them, God is a set of rules and/or doctrines, and this often leads to judgmentalism. This group is no better than the first one, as all their boasting is directed towards what they are doing for God. Sadly most of them question their salvation. Rom 9:32-33 “They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling.” (from THE MESSAGE.)
However, the day God asked me this question, I was made aware of a third group of people–a group of people that I belonged to–those who are Christians, but don’t consult God in everything they do. They are the ones who try to be in charge of their circumstances and their environment. Oh, they worship the Lord, but in their daily lives and decisions, God is second.
People in this group can experience success. But this kind of success is temporary and all too quickly dark clouds gather in their horizon. Sooner or later they realize that they can’t be in control of all things, and great disappointments and discouragements replace their temporary success.
It’s when they are eventually empty of themselves and in big despair, that they realize that only God is the one who is in charge. They never can be in charge. It is only when they finally give themselves completely to God and consult Him in everything, in every little decision, that they finally experience inner peace. Matt 11:28 (“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” NIV) becomes real in their lives. Wow! Thank you Jesus!
Do you belong to one of these three groups?
Does sin have control over your life? Are you tired of it? Come to Jesus and hand over your problems to Him. He will welcome you with open arms.
Are you one who praises the Lord because of all the things you are doing for Him? If you are tired of these empty self-glorifications, come to Jesus and hand these over to Him. Only then will you start to know Jesus intimately.
Are you one of those who makes their own decisions? Maybe you are considering a camping trailer or maybe you are considering a change of employment. If you are tired of making faulty decisions, come to Jesus and hand them to Him. Only then will you be able to experience His inner peace and find rest for your soul. He will guide you to the right decision, one that will glorify not yourself, but God.
Will you join me in putting your past behind, and in putting Jesus in the center of your life? Let us join the apostle Paul and start boasting only about Jesus and what He has done and is doing in us. 2 Cor 12:9-10 “He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” NIV
In His love,
Rob Chaffart
Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org