The Glory Due His Name

What is it that God wants you and me to do?  More than anything else, God wants us to live our lives so that He receives glory.  Three verses of scripture express this thought through the phrase “the glory due his name.”

1) "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.  Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (I Chronicles 16:29).

2) Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (Psalm 29:2).

3) “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts” (Psalm 96:8).

The underlined words in the above verses indicate exactly what you and I need to do to give God credit for who He is and what He has done for us.  We are to:

• “Bring an offering” – No one should come into God’s presence without bringing something.  This gift acknowledges that everything – including oneself – belongs to God.
• “Come before Him” – To come is God’s call suggesting that He is a personal God and desires that people enter His presence.  Because Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, we become the righteousness of God when we put our trust in Him.
• “Worship Him” – Since God is worthy of all praise and honor, we should acknowledge his graciousness and goodness as we lift his name in praise and thanksgiving.
• “Come into His courts” – To be in God’s courts means to be in His presence, and we can do so no matter where we are.  However, in a gathering of God’s people (like at a church) we corporately worship him.

Each action above is an extension of oneself to God to lift the Lord up and give Him the glory that is due His name.  As you reflect on these thoughts ask yourself:

1)      What action have I taken that ascribes to the Lord the glory due his name?

2)      Have I brought an offering that suggests that I belong to God?

3)    In what ways have I worshiped God through expressing my praise of him?

4)    Have I come into God’s presence to simply spend time with Him?

We ought to think carefully about God and act each day to make sure that we ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due His name.

The Sea and God's Glory

While recently cruising through the Gulf of Mexico I was impressed with the vast amount of water all around - its length,  its width and its depth. Everywhere I looked all I could see was water. Where did this water come from? How did it get here? As the earth rotates, what makes it adhere to the earth and not fling away into space?  The Bible says, "And God said let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place and let the dry land appear and it was so. And God called the dry land earth and the gathering together of the waters he called the seas and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:9-10).

The seas with all the water they contain did not appear by chance; they were planned and created by God. In fact, the world and everything in it was created for God's glory. The Bible says "The whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). So when we look at creation we should think of God - His greatness, His power, and His majesty - not just for us to enjoy, but for our minds to be focused on Him and His glory. When you look at creation - be sure to enjoy it, but also be ready to give glory to God.