All to God's Glory

Scripture: Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. Ezekiel 36:22-32

Observation: God acts for our benefit out of his love for us, but it's ends is for God's glory. When he restored Israel - gathering them together, cleansing them with water, forgiving their sins providing a new heart, and providing his Spirit to dwell within them - it was for his own glory.

Application: I like to often think about how God loves me ... how many times in this blog have I thanked God for his love, forgiveness, and promises that provide me with a promise of eternal salvation?! However, Christians need to remember that there is a mission - a purpose - and that purpose is NOT to bless us. God's purpose is to be glorified, and he loves us in order that we may bring glory to him.

How do we bring glory to God? We do the work commanded of us! We exemplify a changed life. We love others. We pray for miracles that manifest in the lives of others. We use our spiritual gifts. We serve others in humility. We show mercy and kindness to all. We give credit to God for every good thing. We function in a manner that is unique in the world. We worship. We simply believe.

This again speaks to the "eternal gospel" of Revelation. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, but the eternal truth is that God is the loving creator who we get to honor and glorify forever. His forgiveness of us, and love of us, and gifts to us, and blessing upon us, is NOT for us ... it is all for his glory, and designed to make him known to the lost and hurting world.

Prayer: Lord, all Christian, including myself, can enjoy focusing on the fact that you love us and saved us. However, that creates a situation where I am focusing on myself and how loved I am. Help me to stay focused on you - to ensure I remember daily that your love of me is the means by which you are glorified. Your blessing exist not for me, but as evidence I can show others of your great love, mercy, and glory, so that they may believe in you as well and seek eternal life in the name of Jesus Christ. Glory and honor to you alone, oh God! Amen.