Isaiah 48.11
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
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If I have done nothing to earn this favor, what is God’s motive? I remember being shocked when I first learned that He does this for His own glory. This seems so self-centered, and in a sense, it is! I know it is best for us to live God-centered lives, so wouldn’t it make sense if God Himself was also God-centered? This sounds foreign to us, because the only “self-centeredness” we know of is sinful, the fruit of human pride! But God has no such pride, and so “self-centered” is exactly what He should be; God ought to be “God-centered”! After all, is there anything else in all of creation that I would rather have God be centered upon other than His own self and goodness?
Imagine a man discovers the cure for cancer. Would it be “self-centered” of him to want to be in the news so that he could share this cure and save the dying? Well, yes, it would be, but it wouldn’t be a selfish self-centeredness. It would be for the good of others! God desires to be glorified in this world for this same reason: to save the dying! His desire is to open the eyes of His enemies so that they can see the beauty of His love and know the embrace of His acceptance. He desires for them to behold His grace and find eternal life and abundant joy as He shares with them the cure for their sin and death.
God has so twisted His glory
and our joy together,
that as we advance the one,
we promote the other.
-C.H. Spurgeon
When I aim to glorify God (and when God Himself aims to glorify Himself!) I become a recipient of joy. I have been created by God to bring Him glory and to reflect Him; it is what I was made for. And when I do that, I find a joy, satisfaction, and a wholeness because I am doing exactly what I was made for! I was designed to be a reflection of my Father, and when I am reflecting Him, the joy is rewarding beyond any other temporary reward I may experience when I center my life around lesser things.
When I am living for things that I wasn’t designed for, I am left restless, empty, and wanting. Life feels meaningless, frustrating, and joyless. The Gospel reminds me that as I give myself to what I was actually designed for, God’s glory overflows into my own heart and brings true satisfaction, meaning, purpose, and joy.
Read Again Out Loud and Make it into a Prayer:
Isaiah 48.11
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Holy, Holy, Holy
Reginald Heber, 1826
Personalize and Read or Pray Aloud:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning
our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity
Holy, holy, holy,
though the darkness hide Thee
Though the eye of sinful men
Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy,
there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name
in earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity
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Pray Aloud:
May our Lord Jesus Christ
Be near me to defend me,
Within me to refresh me,
Around me to preserve me,
Before me to guide me,
Behind me to justify me,
Above me to bless me;
Who lives and reigns with the Father
and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever.
-Anonymous, 10th Century Irish Manuscript
Father, be glorified in __________ ,
let Your Kingdom and will be done,
in and through __________
as it is in Heaven.
Give _________ daily bread,
and thank You for Your forgiveness.
Help me to forgive others,
as I know that You have forgiven me.
Keep __________ eyes fixed on You
and Your Word so that _______
may not sin against You.
Thank You for Your sovereign love.
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