Sometimes I need things to be simplified for me because I naturally tend to overthink.  I will spend years thinking that there is a deep meaning to something that is meant to be relatively simple.  Then a simple phrase is spoken that resolves the confusion and lays to rest the need to continue wondering if I’ve got it right.

“We glorify what we draw attention to” – (Full sermon)

That’s it.

I want to glorify God.  Most Christians do. That is, or should be, the ultimate purpose of our life.  But, that word, “glorify” always confounded me.  It shouldn’t have, but it did.  How do we glorify a God who can’t be made more valuable than He already is?  How do we somehow add to His glory?  We can’t.  This was always my confusion.  But confused or not, I have tried to do my best at carrying out this concept I couldn’t fully define.

What it means seems very simple now.  When we draw attention to something or someone, people say we are “glorifying” it.  When a movie makes violence look good, we say that it “glorifies” violence. It draws attention to violence in a positive light.  Glorifying isn’t always about making something bad seem good, but it’s also about revealing, or drawing attention to the good already present.

I’ve given “credit” to God for things that have happened in my life.  I’ve told other people to give God “credit”, but I didn’t see that as exactly the same thing as giving God glory.  Just credit.  It’s fair for me to be foolish about some things as long as I am willing to accept a new way of thinking when the Truth arrives.

If my life glorifies God, then that simply means that I draw attention to God, that I draw attention to His goodness and Truth.  That paradigm shift truly makes me reconsider everything.  I realize that I can either be spending my time drawing attention to something else, drawing no attention to anything, or drawing attention to God.  The Word says “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  I read that to mean that everything I do should be drawing attention to God.

It’s the “everything” part that I struggle with.  God always sets a perfect standard.  For imperfect humans, there is grace.