Do All for the Glory of God

November 2, 2019

I believe sometimes the Christian walk can become routine. We go through the motions, but are sometimes still left feeling, well, nothing. Now this isn't saying we should base our worship, walk, nor love for God on our feelings (I wrote a whole other blog on why that's a bad idea), but we should still be approaching Christ boldly and with a sense of awe. But how often do we approach God this very same way when just doing our every day menial tasks? "I'm going to ride my bike today, so I'm going to ride my bike boldly for Christ!"... Seriously, who honestly says that? How do you ride your bike for God's glory anyways?

People love to categorize things as "Christian": "This is going to be for God right here... this thing I got planned later is not, so I won't count that." Makes sense. Since we never went into it counting it for God, there's no need to feel guilty about it right? I believe we also see this mainly in the "Christian" music industry. Interviewers LOVE asking these artists "are you a Christian artist?", or "are you a Christian band?", to which the responses vary from one end of the spectrum to the other. It'd be like someone asking me "are you a Christian web developer?" Should the answers to these questions be that complicated? If we profess Christ, shouldn't He abound in every part of our life?

As many of you know, Kanye West has recently been saved, and now proclaims Christ as his Savior. I will admit, when I first heard of it I was a tad skeptical, but of course didn't say his conversion was false. After reading, and seeing various interviews, it is truly evident that Christ has got ahold of his life. One of my favorite interviews was from Jimmy Kimmel, where he asked: "Would you consider yourself to be a Christian music artist now?" To which West replied: "I'm just a Christian everything" I absolutely loved that answer, because his answer was biblical, and it answered that question perfectly. The question "are you a Christian (fill in the blank)" is the wrong question to be asking, because the answer is in the question. The question that should be asked is, "are you a Christian?" That's it. Because the answer to THAT question answers all others. If you profess Christ, then everything you do is for and in service to Christ and for His glory. We can't compartmentalize things in our life and say "this is for Christ and this isn't". No, it's all His.

So what does it mean to live for the glory of God? It doesn't mean we have to go about literally telling everyone "glory be to God" in every thing you do throughout the day, because let's be honest, that would get pretty annoying. It means you stop living for yourself. If you look in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul touches on this subject and says:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

Just a few verses prior, Paul also said "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." Why? Because it gives God glory, and also "So that they may be saved." Paul also speaks on this same topic in his letter to the church at Colasse. In chapter three he says:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Whereas before, "putting others first" was towards our unsaved neighbor so that "they may be saved", here it is still putting others first, but now they aren't our neighbor, but our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of it being for the purpose of them being saved, it's for the purpose of lifting each other up and admonishing one another in Christ. It can be hard to put others first, but it isn't complicated.

I love seeing new believers on fire for Christ. Not only because it's awesome to see how God has saved a life, but because it's convicting to see the boldness they have in putting other's first, and the boldness they have in proclaiming the Gospel. God owns us. We, as Paul said numerous times, are "bondservants to Christ." In Romans when Paul said to "present yourselves as a living sacrifice...which is your reasonable service" (Rom 12:1) "Reasonable service" is just another way of saying "it's the least you can do."" We don't get to compartmentalize our life into areas that we want God a part of vs. not. I am a Christian. Period. A Christian everything, and everything is for the service of others and for the glory of our King.

Blessings.

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