God’s Glory

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” God made the vast heavens with the glorious light of the sun and the calming reflection of the moon. And to top it off, He sprinkled the sky with innumerable twinkling stars that bring us delight at night. He created countless planets and galaxies beyond our solar system, and here on Earth, He created plants that offer feasts of fruits and bounties of flowers. And the animals! He made mighty tigers and tiny mice; cruising whales and dashing minnows; horses and dogs, beautiful and faithful. And God made people. He made Adam and Eve in His own image to have fellowship with Him. God made us to glorify Him. Why does God bring glory to Himself? Is that even okay? Isn’t it like bragging? The Bible is clear that God does not sin. When Scripture talks about God doing something to glorify Himself, it means that God is showing us who He is—what His attributes are, what He can do, and how much He loves us. He wants us to know Him. Do you realize that we do something similar? We reveal things about ourself when we play a musical instrument, create works of art, play a sport, whiz through mathematical equations to discover an answer, or use whatever knowledge or talent we have. But people aren’t sinless like God is. A person might have a sinful, boasting attitude and do things simply to show off. And we usually show off when we feel like our needs for love or affirmation aren’t being met. God sees these needs, and He wants us to come to Him so that He can fill them. As we follow Jesus, He helps us use the gifts God has given us to glorify Him. He calls us to serve others like He serves us (Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Peter 4:10). Jesus humbled Himself by becoming human and dying on the cross—and He raised from the dead, defeating sin and death forever. This resulted in God being glorified! When God glorifies Himself, He is simply being God. He is the sinless, mighty, loving, beautiful God. His works are glorious, and so is He! • Rebecca Moore • How does God reveal Himself through creation? What is one of your favorite things He made? • How can studying history or science or music or art help us know God better? How can we invite others to know God through these things? They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Isaiah 6:3 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; Isaiah 6:3