Category: God & His Glory

Behold Our God In 2015

On By BrianIn Book of Isaiah, God & His Glory

Perhaps our greatest need as we begin a new year is to behold our God – to be reminded of who he is. Isaiah 41 gives us just the glimpse we need:

Our God Rules Over All (v1-7) – God raised up Cyrus to end the Babylonian empire and usher in the Persian empire so the people of Israel could return to their land. Indeed he rules over each generation that comes along – he is the first and the last. And our God will rule over this year. God has a plan for 2015, and he will fulfill his plan. He has a purpose for your life this year.

Our God Cares About Us and Helps Us (v8-20) – God has chosen his people to be his servants, and he will be with us in 2015. He will strengthen us in our weakness. He will help us in our trials. He will uphold us in our need.

Our God Knows The Future (v21-29) – The gods of the nations cannot tell the future – they are nothing, a delusion, empty wind. But our God predicted the coming of Cyrus about 200 years before he came onto the scene. Our God knows the future. He knows what will happen in 2015. Nothing this year will take him by surprise.

Our God rules over the coming year. He knows what the coming year will bring. He cares about us and will help us this year. So let us set our gaze upon him, and trust him with the 2015.

God Loves Us

On By BrianIn Books of the Bible, God & His Glory1 Comment

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love….
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us….
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him….
– Psalm 103:8, 11-12, 17

His love shines forth in his mercy and grace and patience toward us.
His love is higher than the heavens.
His love removes our sin.
His love lasts forever.

To those who fear Him.
Toward His people.

Not because we are great,
But because His love is great.
We are sinners; we are dust.
But he loves us anyway.

God loves us!

The One True God

On By BrianIn Book of Acts, God & His Glory, Idolatry3 Comments

In a city full of idols, Paul stood up and proclaimed that there is one true God (Acts 17).  And in our world today full of idols, we too must stand up and declare that there is one true God.  And this one true God stands far above the idols of our world.

  • The one true God is the Creator (v24).  The earth and sky, the sun, moon, and stars, every tree, every blade of grass, every animal, every person was made by God.  Compare God to the idols of our day – created things every one.  Wealth, material things, the newest gadget – all created things.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the Creator or the created?
  • The one true God is the Lord (v24).  Over heaven and earth.  He reigns over all he has made.  He is the king.  He rules with unlimited power over his creation.  Compare God to our idols with limited power at best.  Wealth, stuff, popularity – all with limited power.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the Lord of unlimited power or an idol of limited power?
  • The one true God is self-sufficient (v24-25).  He doesn’t need anything or anyone – to exist, to continue, to act.  Compare God to our idols that are all fading.  Not one will last forever.  Our idols rot, rust, and wear out.  They are lost, stolen, taxed.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the self-sufficient God or a fading idol?
  • The one true God is the life-giver (v25).  He is the source of all – your life, your breath, your strength, your abilities, your wealth – all comes from God.  Compare God to our idols which are life-suckers.  They suck away our lives as we chase after them, pursue them, trust in them, only to be let down because they cannot satisfy us like we want them to.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the Life-Giver or a life-sucker?
  • The one true God is sovereign (v26).  He is in control.  He determines when you will live and where.  Compare God to our idols which by and large we control, we manipulate.  Perhaps that is why we like them – but they are less than us, and can’t give us lasting significance.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the One who is in control or an idol that we control?
  • Finally, the one true God desires a relationship with us (v27).  Ponder that.  This Creator and Lord who is self-sufficient, life-giving, and sovereign actually desires a relationship with us.  He wants us to seek him, to find him, to know him.  Compare this God with your idols which don’t care about you at all.  Your money doesn’t care about you.  Neither do your things, the newest gadget, the latest entertainment.  Will you live for, trust in, and seek your significance in the God who cares about you or an idol that couldn’t care less?

Perhaps Isaiah 46 sums it up best.  You can choose an idol that you must carry, or you can choose the one true God who will carry you.  Your choice.

How We Give Glory To God

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

In an earlier post, we looked at four reasons to give glory to God from Psalm 115.  Today, we want to consider four ways we give glory to God from the same psalm.  How do we give glory to God?

  • We give glory to God as we serve him (v2-8).  Followers of idols serve their idol, giving their obedience and allegiance.  As followers of the one true God, we should serve him, giving him our full obedience and allegiance.  Does he have your complete allegiance?  As we show that he alone is worthy of our total service, obedience, and allegiance, faithfully serve him each day, we give him glory.
  • We give glory to God as we trust him (v8-11).  Those who follow idols, trust in their idols.  But we trust in the Lord as our help and shield.    Are you trusting him in your current circumstances?  As we show that he alone is worthy of our complete trust, and we trust him in each situation, we give him glory.
  • We give God glory as we seek to be good stewards of his blessings (v12-17).  God has blessed us with countless blessings.  He has given us the resources of the earth.  He has given us whatever time we have here on earth.  How are you using his blessings?  His resources?  The time he has given you?  Are you using his blessings for selfish pursuits for your glory?  Or are you using his resources for the kingdom for his glory?  As we show that he is worthy of our stewardship, and we daily live as good stewards, we give him glory.
  • We give glory to God as we praise him (v12-18).  In response to his many blessings, we ought to praise him.  We ought to be grateful.  In our limited time here on earth, we should praise God.  We should give ourselves to singing his praises as we gather together as his people.  We should give ourselves to praising him all week longs as we talk about the great things he has done for us.  Are you giving yourself to praising God?  As we show that he is worthy of our praises, and we praise him each day, we give him glory.

God is worthy.  Will you give him the glory he deserves today?

Why We Give Glory To God

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

We live in a world of self-glorification.  We want others to be impressed with us, to praise us, to respect us, to be in awe of us.  We want the glory.  And if life is all about us, then we should get the glory.  But life is not all about us, and Psalm 115:1a points us in a different direction:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory.

Instead of seeking glory for ourselves, we are to give all the glory to God.  We should want others to be impressed with God, to praise God, to respect God, to be in awe of God.  We want God to get the glory.

Two questions spring from this call to give glory to God.  First, why should we give God the glory?  Second, how do we give God the glory?  We will deal with the second question in a later post.  For now, consider four reasons from Psalm 115 that we should give all the glory to God:

  • He is a God of love and faithfulness (v1b).  We should give God glory because of his incredible love for us as demonstrated on the cross.  Because of his love, we can be forgiven, have a new life in relationship with God, and have the hope of heaven.  And he is faithful to us.  His mercies are new every morning.  He keeps his promises to us.  Why should we give God all the glory?  Because of his love and faithfulness.
  • He is the one true God (v2-8).  The gods of this world can be seen, but they are impotent.  Whether we talk about the carved idols of the pagans, or the gods we construct in our own minds, or the gods we make out of material things, they can not bring satisfaction, fulfillment, or security.  They don’t have eyes to see our trouble.  They don’t have ears to hear our cries.  They don’t have noses to smell our fear.  They don’t have mouths to speak words of comfort.  They don’t have hands to help us.  They don’t have feet to go to our defense.  They are worthless gods.  But “our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”  Though we can’t see him, he is omnipotent – all-powerful.  And he can see our trouble, hear our cries, smell our fear, speak comfort to us, help us in our need, and go to our defense.  Why should we give God all the glory?  Because he is the one true God.
  • He is our help and shield (v9-11).  Think of the many ways God has helped us through trials and struggles.  Consider how he has been a refuge, a strength, an encouragement to us.  And he has been a shield to us, protecting us from countless possible injuries, calamities, and accidents that we may never even be aware of.  Why should we give God all the glory?  Because he is our help and shield.
  • He is the source of all our blessings (v12-18).  Again and again, we read that he will bless us. We need not fear that his blessings will end – he will bless us.  And he is not skimpy in his blessings, but he pours out blessing upon blessing.  As the Creator of all things, he can bless us.  “He does all that he pleases” – and he pleases to bless us!  Why should we give God all the glory?  Because of his many blessings to us.

In God, we find many reasons to give God all the glory.  May we respond to our great God by giving him the glory that he deserves today.

Waterfalls

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

Creation points to God; it declares its Creator.  Waterfalls, as part of creation, point to God.

Waterfalls point to God’s beauty.  The cascading water sparkling in the light is a reflection of God’s beauty.

Waterfalls point to God’s power.  The deafening roar of the thundering water speaks of God’s great power.

Waterfalls also point to God’s infiniteness.  Each waterfall is different – different heights, different widths, different angles of descent, different rocks, different cascades.  I’ve never seen two waterfalls the same.  Each one is a new sight to behold.  And so it is with God.  There is always a new beauty to behold, a new manifestation of his power.  We will never exhaust the depths of God.

Know Me Better

On By BrianIn God & His Glory1 Comment

In Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol, Scrooge wakes up to the coming of the Ghost of Christmas Present.  He peaks out of his bed curtains to see a large jolly man with a never-ending chuckle and an incredible feast of food.  The Ghost calls out to Scrooge, “Come in, and know me better, man!”

I believe this is a wonderful picture of God.  God is big and full of joy, and his blessings surround him.  And he calls to us, “Come, and know me better!”

God Our Creator

On By BrianIn God & His Glory2 Comments

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
– Genesis 1:1

Consider the creative ability required for God to create our world.  He creates thousands of different animals in all shapes and sizes.  He creates giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, hamsters, penguins, eagles, robins, whales, sharks, shrimp, lobsters, and so much more.  He creates thousands of different types of plants.  Some plants bear fruits of various color, shape, and taste.  Many plants have flowers in incredible variety.  He creates different environments on the earth – deserts, forests, prairies, mountains, oceans, and more.  He fills space with stars and planets of incredible variety.  What creativity to make all of this!

Consider the wisdom and knowledge required for God to create our world.  What he designs must actually function.  Animals must move and breathe and eat and multiply.  God must come up with practical things like hearts, lungs, livers, spinal cords, and so much more.  All of this made up of cells, made up of atoms, made up of….  And then there are plants which need to grow and bear fruit and form seeds.  And all these plants and animals have to fit together in their habitat.  And the earth has to be just the right distance from the sun.  And, and, and….  We have spent several thousand years trying to figure out how our world works.  But God knows it all.  What wisdom and knowledge to make all of this!

Consider the power required for God to create our world.  There is nothing, and with a word God creates something.  With a word, he makes planets and stars and plants and animals.  With a word.  What authority!  What power!  Ponder the power required to make this vast universe.  And God does it all by simply speaking it into existence.  What power to make all of this!

This is our Creator.  This is our God.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
– Psalm 95:6

Dwelling Place

On By BrianIn God & His Glory

…you have made the Lord your dwelling place….
– Psalm 91:9

Psalm 91 calls us to make the Lord our dwelling place, to abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  We can draw near and dwell with God.  We can abide in his presence. 

What a wonderful place to dwell!

Not only can we make God our dwelling place, but he has made us his dwelling place.  In I Corinthians 6:19-20, we are reminded that our bodies are God’s temples.  God’s Spirit dwells in us.  He is always with us.

God’s Spirit dwells in us, and we can dwell in him.  Indeed it is because God has drawn near to us, that we can draw near to him.  What an incredible opportunity!  Throughout each day, God is with us, and we can turn to him as our refuge in each trial.  We can praise him for each blessing he showers upon us.  We can commune with him each moment.  We can walk with him each hour.  We can draw near at any time.  We can draw near all of the time.

Father, open my eyes to your presence with me today.  Let me draw near and abide with you.  As you have made me your dwelling place, may I dwell in you today.  Amen.