Giving God the Glory

My mind is always turning and churning after leaving Bible study and that goes for this morning. We were discussing how to glorify God in all we do. Yes, friends, this means when we're tired at the end of the day and have a dishwasher to load/unload. This means that we must glorify God when we're helping our children clean up their toys, when the bathrooms need to be cleaned, when there's dinner to make, it's 5:30 and you are praying that #1 your kids will entertain themselves for 30-45 minutes so you can prepare it and #2 that you will actually find something edible to eat. This means we must glorify God when bills have to be paid and finances are tight, when there are errands to run and kids are screaming in the car, when the Lord hands you someone to be compassionate to and you pray that you don't loose it because they're not someone you "click" with or have patience for at that moment. God calls us to glorify Him through ALL things, not just the things we want to or have time for. I don't know about you, but I find that I'm constantly having to remind myself to glorify the Lord in all I do. It's not something I think about ("Gee Lord, as I scrub these pots and pans, please take glory in this").

The Bible also speaks about HOW we are to give God glory (this one can be difficult at times!). In Matthew 6:2 it tells us that we shouldn't boast about the good deeds we do to glorify God, but we are to remain humble so that God can reward us. I Peter 1:24 says that the glory of man will fade, but God's glory will live on forever. Sometimes, we do a good deed and we're waiting for that pat on the back or the "Atta girl!" when that's exactly what God tells us not to do. God wants to reward us in heaven, but by boasting, we're robbing Him of that joy.


There's a quote by Sheila Walsh that I like. It says:

"I want to know for myself what God says. I want to know the things that make Him happy and the things that break His heart. I want to know how to live a life that will please Him. How can I do that if I don't study His words to me?"

WOW!!! That phrase hits home for me when I find myself not reading my Bible as much as I should.

Two more verses hit me this morning:

I Peter 3:3,4 - "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

One of the opening questions in our devotional said, "Which would you rather be known as - a strong, self-reliant, independant woman, or a quiet, submissive woman completely dependent on another?"

It's hard to read that quote and make a decission, but it sounds to me (according to I Peter 3:3,4) like God wants us to be the latter. That's so hard in these days isn't it ladies? Proverbs 31:10-31 also tells us the women we are to be (not that it's easy!). As women of God we are to have a strong character, great wisdom, many skills and great compassion. We are to be women that fear the Lord.

In today's society, with media beaming, telling us who we are to be, it's difficult to be that Proverbs 31 woman. One thing that our Bible study mentor mentioned this morning though is that we're not in it alone. When we stand in darkness as a light for Christ (when all the other women are participating in something that wouldn't represent Christ well), God will give us the strength to stand alone for Him. He will get us through our trials and we will be stronger and more wise because of that trial. We MUST remain steadfast and loyal to our Heavenly Father.

I wish you all a Jesus-filled day! =)