By: Henry Knapp
One of the “jokes” around our house is how little I notice things. I have the amazing capacity to walk right by the laundry and not realize it needs to be folded; I’m at a loss when asked what color the bath towels are; I can look intently at a dust bunny and never think to clean it up. Now, I maintain that this is because I am so very busy thinking deep, important thoughts (“when’s my next meal?”; “which quarterback should I start on my fantasy team?”), but Kelly insists I’m simply clueless.
And so, if you’ve been around Hebron for some time and have missed our emphasis on “the praise of His glory,” I totally sympathize.
We have been using this phrase over the past year as part of our “Worship + 2” package. Worship +2 stresses our focus as a church in making disciples—
· through our worship : Loving the Lord together
· through +1 our study : Learning the Word of God together
· through +2 our service : Serving our King together
However, it is always a danger to mistake the means for the end; worshipping well, learning a lot, and serving with gusto are great, but all this can also be poorly-directed. Without the proper goal, doing things “right” would be a great wrong. And, so, it is important to stress again our goal which is to guide all: to be and to do all things “for the praise of His glory.”
Working for God’s glory can sound trite, a cute phrase that is so vague as to defy definition. It can sound like a good Christian thing without any real meaning. We have to fight to keep this from happening, to avoid “blanking out” when we hear the phrase and not give it the weight it deserves. To do and be “for the praise of His glory” acknowledges that God is the center of our lives, that He is the One who shapes all things, and that we intend everything to be for Him.
Ø We want His glory, that is, His majesty, authority, wonder, goodness, kindness, and holiness, to be seen by all people.
Ø We want to boast in Him, that is, to talk about what He has done, His redemption, His grace and goodness.
Ø We want our voices, our actions, and our thoughts to praise that glory, that is, to uplift, magnify, highlight, and honor all that God is.
Ø We want everything we have and all that we do and all that we are to be “for Him,” that is, in every part of our lives—our families, our jobs, our thoughts, our recreation—to please Him.
This is a tall order. One well-documented effect of sin in our lives is that it causes us to turn inward, to focus upon ourselves, and not on our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. There is so much going on every day that it is easy to have the immediate concerns overshadow ultimate concerns. But, our goal is to put first things first, and the first thing is all about our God.
I encourage you through the day: Ask yourself, am I prioritizing what is really important? Am I making the most of Christ today? Or is something else, anything else, getting more of my attention, more of my praise? Challenging questions, but they can lead you toward “the praise of His glory!”
