Glory Be

Have you ever wondered what the phrase “Give God the Glory” actually means? And even more so, “How do I give Him that glory?” In the afterglow of Easter this phrase, or some derivation of it, has been used countless times but do we really understand what it means?

The literal meaning of glory is found in the phrase “to be heavy” and when it is applied to God it has at its core the idea that He is to be given honor and respect because He is weighty or of immense value. Psalm 19:1 says it this way - The heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament shows His handiwork and Habakkuk 2:14 states - For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. In other words, God’s glory (His weightiness, value, or heaviness) is on display in His creation.

Unger’s Bible Dictionary defines God’s glory as: “the manifestation of His divine attributes and perfections.” By this definition God’s glory is the visible display of His omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence as well as His holiness, love, mercy, kindness, justice, joy, peace, patience, etc... So, one way of glorifying God is to recognize and praise Him for the visible display of Himself in His creation. This is seen throughout the Psalms and is reflected in Paul’s statement in Romans 1 when he says that God has made Himself known through His creation. The significance of God is seen in His unique nature and character, so glory is the visible expression of the character of God. 

But let’s make this personal. Genesis 1 tells us that we were made in His image, with His essence and character. Paul affirms this by expressing that In Christ we have the fruits of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5. In other words, we were created in the image (with the ability to manifest the visible character) of God. That is those character traits that we can reflect - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc... and when we do that we are reflecting His image. We are doing what we were created to do - be the image bearers or manifest the character of God to His creation. 

So, when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:31,Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God what he is saying is whatever you do, do it in such a way as to reflect the character of God. To glorify God then, is to manifest the character of God to the world. In fact the Westminster Shorter Catechism says: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Our chief goal is to display God’s character, be His image bearer, manifest  His attributes to a world that, whether they know it or not, are dying to know HIm.

His character (glory) is on display in His best creation… you and me! So when I display His character I am doing what I was created to do. God has chosen you and me to be the conduit through which He reveals His character to His creation. Make today the day that you choose to be who you were created to be - the glory "revealer" of God. Glory Be!

Mark