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God reveals himself to all of mankind through His creation.  Even though God is invisible, His very existence can be seen in the beauty and the “light of nature” of creation itself.   Unfortunately, sometimes people outright reject God or allow sin to obscure Him in order to pursue sinful hearts and earthly desires.  This separates us from God and we fall into lives of corruption, idolatry, and sinfulness.   We know better – we are without excuse!  Where in our own lives are we trading away or trivializing the glory of God and pursuing non-Godly ends?

But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.  [Romans 1:18-23  The Message]

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Jesus prayed for us – those who have come to know Him through His disciples and their witness – prayed that we would all be one in Him and with one another.  Jesus shares the divine glory God gave to Him with His disciples and thereby allows us, as disciples of Christ, to share in divine glory through Him. Through His grace we receive glory! What a gift. We are called in this prayer, as His disciples, to be a testimony to Jesus and his love to a lost world. We are called to be one with Jesus, and in being one with Him to be united with His Father and with other believers — all through our union with Jesus.  He fills each of us with His love and presence while we live with Him here on earth. We are called to provide living proof of God’s mercy, love and truth – to be a living testimony of God’s love—so that all may know this love.  This is the gracious God we are called to give glory to and to fully enjoy forever.

I’m praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me.  The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are—I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you’ve sent me and loved them in the same way you’ve loved me. Father, I want those you gave me to be with me, right where I am, so they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me, having loved me long before there ever was a world. Righteous Father, the world has never known you, but I have known you, and these disciples know that you sent me on this mission. I have made your very being known to them— who you are and what you do—and continue to make it known, so that your love for me might be in them exactly as I am in them. [John 17:21-24 (The Message)]

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God does not intend for us to figure out this world on our own. He is a God who is available — a God who goes beside us and guides us through the joys and sorrows we find in life. As theologist Thomas Manton states, “In our way to heaven, we need not only a rule and path, but a guide.  The rule is the law of God; but the guide is the Spirit of God.”  With God as our travel companion through life we experience the glory of God.  God teaches us how to glorify him so that we can enjoy him – now and in Heaven and always.

You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven!   Whom have I in heaven but you? And I desire no one on earth as much as you! My health fails; my spirits droop, yet God remains! He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!

But those refusing to worship God will perish, for he destroys those serving other gods.  But as for me, I get as close to him as I can! I have chosen him, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful ways he rescues me.  Psalm 73:24-28 [The Living Bible]

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So much of today’s culture is focused on how we can best please ourselves to get the most out of life.  There are countless self-help books and articles about what we need to do to be happy, what we need to do to be strong, how to improve our minds and bodies, how to make more money, how to gain more control of our lives and how to be successful.  The list of ways to serve ourselves goes on and on.  Yet the Bible reminds us that we need to live our lives for God’s glory, not our own.  We need to focus our lives on God first because our true happiness depends on consciously trying to serve the purpose for which we were created – to glorify God and enjoy him.  All other purposes we pursue are shallow and fail to fulfill both our purpose and our ultimate happiness.

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Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.

Is there anyone around who can explain God?
Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?
Anyone who has done him such a huge favor
that God has to ask his advice?
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes

[Romans 11:36:  The Message]

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A foundational belief of our faith is that our “chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully enjoy him forever” [Westminster Confession].   The message throughout Scripture is that we worship God because God is our great and worthy Creator.  In fact, the Bible tells us that all things, including the Earth and each of us, were created for God’s pleasure.  Augustine says in his Confessions:  “Thou hast created us for Thyself, O God, and our heart is restless until it finds repose in Thee.”  We glorify God because He, and He alone, deserves our praise, honor and worship.

Glorifying God means that we acknowledge his greatness.  We honor him by praising and worshipping Him in all we do.  Glorifying God also includes devoting ourselves to his service and following him in obedience.  We glorify God when we love others as He loves us, when we teach/preach the Gospel so that others may know Him, and when we put our trust in Him instead of the world.  We must humble ourselves to God’s glory and make ourselves subject to his glory, honor and power – placing God’s will ahead of our own worldly desires.

How can I glorify God today, in this moment?  How can knowing that my entire purpose in life is to please God impact what I decide to do and how I decide to live my life?

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This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me. – Colossians 1:27-29 (The Message)

Christ in me!  A present and indwelling Christ is with me in all I do. Jesus, who died for me, lives in me  and fills my soul so I can bring forth the fruit of the spirit in my  life.  And Jesus died for all – not just me —  so that all could be saved — Christ is available to everyone.    Knowing the blessing of Christ in our life, we are compelled to faithful discipleship so all may know the truth of God’s salvation message for mankind.  We are called to bring this message with a deep spiritual attitude, grounded in the truth of God’s word, without hypocrisy.  We bring the message of God’s love and salvation by living a life driven by the energy

of God and blessed by the love and peace of God toward all of mankind.

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Lord, who may go and find refuge and shelter in your tabernacle up on your holy hill?  Anyone who leads a blameless life and is truly sincere.  Anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even if it ruins him, does not crush his debtors with high interest rates, and refuses to testify against the innocent despite the bribes offered him—such a man shall stand firm forever.  – Psalm 15 – The Living Bible

Our character, as a Christian, should reflect the nature of the God we love.  While only Jesus can be perfect, as we walk with God the fruits of the Holy Spirit become reflected in our actions.  With God by our side, we can strive to walk blamelessly and sincerely through this life.  How does this look to the outsider?  We treat our neighbors well, we keep our promises, we speak the truth, we manage our resources faithfully.  These are not always easy tasks, but when following Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are provided the ability to lean on God to live our lives righteously – through His power.  This is pleasing to the Lord.  Which areas of our daily routine need to be turned over to God so we might be more obedient to God’s desires and unlock God’s secret to our happiness in this life?

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There’s an old story about a boy who, having grown up at the edge of a wide, turbulent river, spent his childhood learning to build rafts.  When the boy reached manhood, he felled some trees, lashed them together, and riding his raft, he crossed to the far side of the river.  Because he had spent so long working on the raft, he couldn’t see leaving it behind when he reached dry land, so he lashed it to his shoulders and carried it with him, though all he came upon in his journeys were a few easily fordable streams and puddles.  He rarely though about the things he was missing out on because he was carrying the bulky raft – the trees he couldn’t climb, vistas he couldn’t see, people he couldn’t get close to and races he couldn’t run.  He didn’t even realize how heavy the raft was, because he had never known what it was like to be free of it.    —  Lori Gordon  Passage to Intimacy

What raft are you carrying that makes your life journey and your walk with God more difficult?  What worries, scars, burdens or guilt stand in your way of living an abundant life of joy and peace that only God can provide?  Pray that God can help you see the things in your life that are barriers to living the life Jesus wants us to have.

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Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

– Ephesians 6:13-18 [The Message]

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