More Glory

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

– 1 Corinthians 10:31

“… Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

– Isaiah 6:3

We often talk about glorifying God or, perhaps, giving Him glory. Scripture, in fact, commands that we “do all for the glory of God.”

But Scripture also tells us that the earth is filled with God’s glory. God has all the glory He’ll ever need. We can’t bring or give Him more glory than He has! So, what does it mean to “glorify” God? What do we mean by “More Glory” when God has all the glory? The following definition by pastor/theologian John Piper, in his blog Desiring God, helps:

“Glorifying” (God) means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect his greatness, that make much of God, that give evidence of the supreme greatness of all his attributes and the all-satisfying beauty of his manifold perfections.”

We can’t add to God’s glory, but we can reflect it. We can’t add to God’s glory, but we can brag about it. We can’t add to God’s glory, but our lives can point others to it.

When we act like Christ-followers, we reflect God’s glory; we show others His Glory. And we can all reflect more of His Glory! When we worship God and proclaim what He has done for us, we glorify Him. So the more we talk about the Cross, the more we share His Glory!

But one of the best ways to glorify God is to enjoy Him! The first question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism says that our primary goal, our “chief end,” is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Glorifying God and enjoying Him are two sides of the same coin. John Piper, in his blog Desiring God, puts it this way, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” Since God has all glory, why on earth look elsewhere for satisfaction? And when we desire God above all things, we show that He alone has More Glory than anything else.

The Psalmist says:

“Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

– Psalm 73:25-26

Adam and Eve weren’t satisfied with God. They wanted more. They wanted the fruit. They wanted knowledge. And all of our sin since their fall results from desiring something more than God, worshiping something other than God, committing spiritual adultery – what the Bible calls idolatry.

On the other hand, we glorify God when we desire Him above all things on earth, when His love satisfies our souls, when He is our heart’s ultimate delight. And as we fall more in love with Jesus, God gets More Glory.

So let’s pray for More Glory this year.

Let’s pray for greater obedience that reflects our great God. Let’s pray to more frequently tell others about God’s goodness, especially His love manifested in the Cross. And let’s pray that we fall more and more in love with Jesus.

Let’s pray.

Other verses: Psalm 147:11-12, Philippians 3:8

Discussion questions:

1. What can you do so that you delight in God more fully this year?

2. In what areas of obedience, worship, or proclamation can you more fully reflect or share God’s glory?