Glorify God – Paul Nordman

Our Glorious Purpose

An international friend with a deep spiritual hunger once asked me, “What do you think is the meaning of life? I’ve been asking people this question, and I want to know what you think.” I had an answer for her. “The Bible teaches us that we are here to glorify God. Our purpose is not about us at all; it’s about glorifying God who made us and loves us.” She paused for a moment and replied in a quieter, more pondering tone, “This is the first time I’ve heard this.”

Such insight was not mine, of course, rather I’d happened upon this defining scripture passage, hiding in plain view, a few years prior: “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth — everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”¹ We are the only creatures lovingly forged in God’s image (our priceless worth) and we are created for His glory (our eternal purpose). Then what does this purpose — “to glorify God” — look like? It is the overflow of a heart liberated by His love and grace. We glorify God when we engage with Him in our prayers, praise him with our songs, and exalt Him in our testimonies. Moreover, God is glorified when His proactive love for us overflows through us in practical ways to others, or in other words, as we “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship.”²

Yet I think we also glorify God in ways unbeknownst to us. For when we are born of the Spirit through faith in the Son, all of Heaven erupts in praise to the glory of God. In the words of Jesus, “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”³ (Surely the powers of Hell seethe in defeat — another soul saved, another captive freed, another son finding his meaning, another daughter finding her purpose.) Then comes the ripple effect — glory bursting forth into more glory — for as we “let [our] light shine before others, they see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven.”⁴ Some of this we see; much of this we don’t, not yet anyway. For now, rejoice in this: God has given us meaning and purpose, for which and through which we give Him glory.

“Therefore . . . whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.”⁵

Father, we live and breathe for Your glory; there is no higher honor. May we embrace Your purpose for us, glorifying You in our words and deeds, the overflow of liberated hearts. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ Isaiah 43:6-7 NIV, emphasis added
² Romans 12:1 ESV
³ Luke 15:10 NIV
⁴ Matthew 5:16 NIV, emphasis added
⁵ 1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB

What You Do Every Day

“You bless people,” I used to tell our son throughout his growing-up years. Matthew often responded with a quizzical smile, not rejecting what I said, yet wondering how this could be. He was an unassuming, do-the-right-thing kind of kid, and I could see genuine warmth in people’s smiles as they engaged him. Of course, he brought me pleasure, and in blessing others, even more so. As the Bible says, “The father of godly children has cause for joy.”¹ Years later and with two little blessings of his own, Matthew reflected back on our earlier conversations, now with the benefit of his own fatherly perspective: “I finally understand what you meant,” he said.

Did you know our faith actually brings glory to God? Of Abraham the patriarch, Paul wrote, “he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God.”² The apostle also explained that through Jesus—and all who trust in Him—God’s wisdom is displayed not only before the citizenry of this world, but also “to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.”³ And when we accept in faith that all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ, “our ‘Amen’ … ascends to God for his glory.”⁴ In Christ and through our faith in Him, God is glorified before the entirety of His creation—both that which we see and that which we don’t. Our faith shouts His glory.

How can this possibly be? To everything that exists, faith proclaims that God alone is worthy of our trust—“Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true.”⁵ Though Satan points to our troubles in plain view and tempts us to doubt God’s power and love, faith looks at the One we cannot see and declares His honor and praise. In fact, faith is in itself “proof” of the existence of what we do not see.⁶ When we help others “by the strength which God supplies,” then God is “glorified through Jesus Christ,”⁷ and when we “let [our] light shine before others, they … see [our] good deeds, and glorify [our] Father in heaven.⁸ Even in our “confession of the gospel of Christ,” and perhaps especially so, others “will glorify God for [our] obedience.”⁹

What do we do every day? We bring God glory. How humbling this honor! One day we’ll finally understand what this means; for now, we accept it in faith, and in doing so, we glorify God yet again.

To this end also we pray … that our God will … fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in [us], and [us] in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NASB

¹ Proverbs 23:24 NLT
² Romans 4:20 NASB
³ Ephesians 3:11-12 NASB
⁴ 2 Corinthians 1:18 NLT
⁵ Romans 3:4 NLT
⁶ Hebrews 11:1 NASB
⁷ 1 Peter 4:11 NASB
⁸ Matthew 5:16 NIV
⁹ 2 Corinthians 9:13 NASB