Not To Us

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.  Psalms 115:1 NASB

Everything that was created was made by God and for God. All the glories of the created world were designed to point to His glory. The universe is His, designed to function according to His purpose and plan. That includes you and me. We were not made to live independent, self-directed lives. We were not meant to exist according to our own little self-oriented plans, living for our own moments of glory. No, we were created to live for Jesus Christ, the Saviour. 

Where is this Godward living meant to find expression? It is meant to be expressed not just in the religious dimension of our lives, but in every aspect of our existence. That means in our workplaces, at our schools, grocery stores, crosswalks…. Everywhere. 

Apostle Paul teaches this in 1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

When Paul thinks of the call to live for the glory of God, he doesn’t first think of the big, life-changing, self-gratifying spiritual moments of life. No, he thinks of something as common and repetitive as eating and drinking. Even the most regular, seemingly unimportant tasks of life must be shaped and directed by a heartfelt desire for the glory of God. Like imagine this - Jesus is waiting in a long grocery store line up with us while our patience with the cashier grows short - how would we respond? 

Let’s start the new year by admitting that there is nothing we can do of our own accord, in our own power, by our own might. We need God. Desperately. This admission is the doorway not to despair, but to hope. God knew that in our sin we would never live out the life He created us for, so He, Jesus Christ, came to live the life we couldn’t, to die on our behalf, and to rise again, conquering sin and death. 

My friends, the Lord of heaven and earth did this so that we would not only be forgiven for our trespasses and seeking our own glory, but  we would have every grace needed to live for His kingdom. When we admit our need for help, we connect ourselves to Holy Spirit, and He will rescue! Hallelujah! He has already provided a way. Reach out for the bread of life by reaching out for the rescuer again today.