Week 6: February 9th, 2020

Topic: You will be glorified - Part 4

Bible Reading: John 17: 20-26

We shall continue our discussion by the resumption of the conditions required for glorification, and mention how it is our duty to glorify God in all our ways.

Do not seek your own glory: You must never forget that one of the conditionality to be glorified is not to seek your own glory but the glory of God. We need to realize that any person who speaks for himself/herself intend to bring honor/glory to himself/herself. Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves and not for God, according to the scripture which says; “He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him” John 7:18. Are you seeking the glory of God or your own glory? You must know that you cannot be glorified if your conducts did not glorify God, so, do not procrastinate but take steps immediately. Therefore, seek not your own glory but the glory of God who will glorify you, according to the Book of John which says; “And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges” John 8:50. You can have the assurance that as long as you do not desire to glorify yourself, but God, you will be glorified. Therefore, do not seek glory or praise from human but wait on your Creator who will glorify you at the appropriate time, according to the Bible passage which says; “Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ” 1 Thessalonians 2:6. Never allow greed to make you to seek your own glory. A word is enough for the wise; seek the glory of God and not your own glory. Hence, anyone who is boasting or bragging must boast in the Lord and brag about God. Always be proud of your Lord God and never fail to glorify Him. As it is written; “But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” 1 Corinthians 1:31, 2 Corinthians 10:17. Do not forget that you can only glory or boast of what the Lord has done.

Be discreet and righteous: Brethren, be careful and circumspect in your speech or actions, so as to avoid causing offense to others or gain an advantage: because only the insightful people restrain their anger. You must emulate our glorious God who is slow to anger and abounding in mercy before you can be glorified, as the Book of Psalm stated; “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” Psalm 103:8. So, demonstrate your wisdom through your patience, to prove that your glory is to overlook an offense and forgive others. Since sensible people control their temper and they earn respect/glory by ignoring an offense when someone wrongs them. As it is written: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression” Proverbs 19:11. You must never lack good sense and discretion without which no one can neither have patience nor be glorified. Are you seeking revenge and harboring resentment against those who wrongs you? You must be righteous, so that you will be blessed with peace and happiness. You must rejoice because of what the Lord has done, in order to find safety in Him and be glorified, according to the Bible passage which says; “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory” Psalm 64:10. Hence, you must do what is right before you can be glorified. For this reason, wise people will gain an honorable reputation and glory, but stupid people will only add to their own disgrace. As it is written “The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools” Proverbs 3:35. Be wise and upright so as to leave a good legacy and be glorified.

Walk in acceptable manner: It is time to walk with decency and honesty. Let us live and conduct ourselves properly and honorable among the Gentiles as in the light of the day. We must behave in acceptable manner without carousing, partying and other vices. As is it written: “Let us walk properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” Romans 13:13. Abstain from every form of indecency and live a decent life for all to see. We encourage everyone to live in a way that will bring honor and glory to God. We are urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God who calls you to share in His own kingdom and glory. We need to live in a way that God will consider worthy, according to the scripture which says; “that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” 1 Thessalonians 2:12. You must never walk in a way that will bring dishonor to the Lord or make His glorious name to be blasphemed. For this reason: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” Ephesians 5:15. Walk carefully by living a life with honor, purpose and good sense.

Your duty is to glorify God

It is our duty to glorify God, and we must perform this obligation without sluggishness or hesitation. As previously mentioned, it is not good to seek one’s glory, and to seek one’s glory is not glory, which means, it is not glorious to seek one’s glory. As it is written “…. So to seek one’s glory is not glory” Proverbs 25:27. Since it is not honorable to seek one’s glory, why not seek the glory of God and be glorified? Do you know that glorifying God is better than to seek glory after glory?

Use everything to glorify God: King David during his lifetime had good intention of building a temple for the Lord and he was glorified. What intention or plan do you have to glorify God since it is your duty to glorify Him? King David said in the scripture that “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparation to build it” 1 Chronicles 28:2. What steps are you taking to honor and glorify God? Do you know that it is the instruction of the Lord for us to build His temple? The Lord commanded us in the Book of Haggai which says; “ ‘Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,’ says the Lord” Haggai 1:8. It is now mandatory to build the church of God and cater for the congregation. However, your duty to glorify God is not limited to construction of churches alone; therefore, glorify God with your strength, wisdom and riches. Also, your acts and conducts must glorify God in whatever you do and wherever you may be. For this reason, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” Psalm 29:2. Never deny the Lord the glory due to Him, instead ascribe to Him the glory due to His name.

Your duty is to proclaim to every nation on earth that the Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things. It is your job to publish his glorious deeds among the nations and tell about the amazing things He does. As it is written “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples” Psalm 96:3, 1 Chronicles 16:24. Failure to glorify God is an act of disobedience that will never go unpunished. Therefore, “Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts” Psalm 96:7-8, 1 Chronicles 16:28-29. So, it is the duty of every living soul to give to the Lord, glory and power. Whoever desire to be glorified must praise the glorious power of the Lord. For this reason, bless and praise God’s glorious name forever. As it is written; “And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen” Psalm 72:19.

You must not fail to glorify God: The Bible stated that the four living creature and the twenty-four elders are praising and glorifying God continuously. The Book of Revelation says “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” Revelation 4:9-11. If the heavenly elders who worship before the throne of God are giving glory to Him, don’t you think you too must glorify Him? The angel that was sent to announce the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ to the shepherds was joined by vast host of armies of heaven, and they praised and glorified God for sending the Messiah. The scripture confirmed this fact by saying “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” Luke 2:13-14. If the hosts of heaven can descend to join the angel to praise and glorify God, don’t you think glorifying God is a necessity for your existence? You must emulate the heavens by glorifying God for His mercy and grace in your life, and His favour towards you.

If the shepherds who received the Good News glorified the Lord, then you must not fail to glorify Him. The Bible attested to this fact by saying “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” Luke 2:20. If earthlings like yourself know the value of glorifying God, then you too must admit that glorifying God is essential to your faith. When was the last time that you praise and glorify God? Is God not worthy to be glorified for what He has done for you? Even the Pharisees who denied that Jesus Christ was from God knew the importance of glorifying God. They asked the blind man whom Jesus Christ restored his sight to give glory to God, according to the Book of John which says; “So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, ‘Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner’” John 9:13-24. Whatever your situation, do not forget to glorify God. Your troubles or infirmities are not excuses for not glorifying God. All you have to do is, cry out to God whenever you are in distress. As a Christian, you must pray to God in time of difficulty, then He will rescue you and you will have every cause to glorify His Holy name. As it is written, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me” Psalm 50:15. What are you waiting for? Pray to God who will resolve your issues and you will have every reason to continue to glorify Him.

Praising and glorifying God is a necessity: People who have unwavering hearts must praise the Lord; those who are faithful to God with all their hearts must sing to their Creator who made it possible for them to be alive. So, if you are confident in the Lord, you will glorify Him with all your heart; according to the scripture which says “O God, my heart is steadfast, I will sing and give praise, even with my glory” Psalm 108:1. In order to prove that your heart is steadfast, you must continue to glorify God by filling your mouth with His praise. You must continue to praise and honor Him for His kindness everyday. As it is written, “Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day” Psalm 71:8. You must never stop praising and glorifying God for His mercies. You must declare His glory among the saints and proclaim His glory before the unbelievers, so that people will sing about what He has done and His great glory; according to the Book of Psalms which says; “Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord” Psalm 138:5.

Every soul that has reverence for God must praise Him and proclaim His name to their kinsmen. If you are born again Christian, you will never fail to neither praise Him nor glorify Him. You the servants of the Lord, it is your duty to praise and glorify God on daily basis throughout your existence; according to the scripture which says “You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All your descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!” Psalm 22:23. One of the ways for you to prove that you are one of the descendants of Israel is for you to praise and glorify God everyday. Your profession that you are a believer is incomplete unless you are praising and glorifying God relentlessly. For this reason, confess and praise God with all your heart and do not cease to glorify His name. You need to show appreciation to God by praising and glorifying His awesome name. As it is written “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore” Psalm 86:12. If you fail to proclaim the greatness of God, it will be difficult for you to be glorified; so, start praising and glorifying Him from this moment onward.