Give Him Glory (Psalm 96:6-8)
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! —Psalm 96:6-8
In our Sunday School worship time a while back, we were singing,
In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, In my life, Lord, be glorified today. In my church . . . In my home . . . In my heart, Lord be glorified today.
When we were all done singing, I asked the children “How do you glorify the Lord?”
There was silence for a few seconds and then one of the students gave her answer, “You have to say it!”
Yes! Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord and give Him the glory!
If you are a teacher in Sunday School, you already know the conviction God brings through His Word and a child’s uncluttered view of Him. And so, I was led to ask myself whether I “say it” and if these two psalmist’s declarations are true of me?
“My mouth is filled with Your praise, and with Your glory all the day” (Psalm 71:8).
“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3)!
The natural man craves glory. Just as Esau exchanged his birthright for a bowl of soup, so man willingly exchanges the glory of his Creator for that of the creature (Romans 1:22-24). The cosmic battle line is set on who will get the glory. And we know who has the victory, for all creation will glorify the Lord saying,
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:12-13)
As Christians, it is imperative that we meditate on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. If we don’t, we will succumb to the world’s intimidation to remain quiet about God’s glory. God tells us in Ephesians 5:16 to “make the most of your time, for the days are evil.” Take every opportunity to glorify Him. Our hesitation is not because God is unknown to us, but because of who we know ourselves to be. Our past sin or present struggles can hold us hostage. Co-workers know us. Family members know us. We are afraid of appearing to be self-righteous or having false humility if we say, “not me, but to God be the glory!” Don’t be afraid. Think instead of the Revelation 5 scene in heaven where all creation will give Him glory. Then, say it.
We may also lack the unction to glorify God because of spiritual short-sightedness. We have forgotten the immeasurable grace He has poured out on us in Christ Jesus. His forgiveness and grace for past sins, as well as His grace for today and forever are ours. Yes, it is our duty to grieve our sin, but not so much that we forget we have been cleansed of our former sins (2 Peter 1:9). Remembrance of the cleansing of our former sins brings growth in both love and compassion. It keeps us humble and cultivates the mind of Christ in us, making us truly useful for the Kingdom’s sake. What joy it is then to ascribe all the glory due His name as He works in us the pleasure of His will. Boldly declare with all the saints, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1)!
Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
The light is not the good deed, but the truth of the Gospel declared through us. That we belong to Jesus Christ should be plain to a watching world, and belonging to Him, our lives are marked by loving actions. His ownership of us makes our good deeds so clearly His outworking that onlookers will give glory to our heavenly Father. That is amazing! Jesus did not qualify this as a command for perfect people, but for those who are His. No matter our station in life, our race and nation, our strengths and weaknesses, our successes and failures, we are to declare His glorious gospel and go about doing good, leaving no doubt in anyone that we do these things by the strength of the LORD, giving Him the glory due His name.
For Reflection
Do you fear publicly giving God the glory when you are praised for doing something good? What are you specifically afraid of? (It is great help if we will acknowledge our fears and bring them to God. Then arm yourself by memorizing this week’s Fighter Verse.)
Prepare now for your next work review at your job. Think about how you can humbly and graciously turn your boss’s praise of you into an opportunity to share the gospel with him or her.
Read through Psalm 96 and Psalm 24. Write down the verses that have the word “glory” in them. What do they tell you about God?