1 CORINTHIANS 10:31 – So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
THEME OF THE DAY: OUR MOTIVE IN ALL WE DO. Today’s scripture is what I call “a danger verse.” I’ll explain. There are many verses that well-taught and excellent students of the Word know and even are able to cite from memory. And many of these are “danger verses” because they are easily known but may go noticeably absent from our lives in attitude and action. Oh, hopefully not by willful refusal, but something more subtle and deadly – passive neglect. Our chief problem in our battle against sin is likely not of commission – willfully doing what God forbids. It is more the problem of omission – neglecting to do what He commands or failing to intentionally obey what He specifically expects of us. To drive this home a little more, here are a few more examples of “danger verses” – A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35) and And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). To love another and share the Gospel takes acts of intentionality. Knowledge alone won’t get it done.
Now back to today’s “danger verse.” We know the chief motive in our lives, and the chief aim in God’s working in our lives, is His glory. The familiar shorter catechism question one reads, What is the chief end of man? And the answer is To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Like our knowledge of scripture, we know this opening of the catechism, but knowing and living often have a wide gulf between the two. So, how may we narrow it? Here are two applications.
First, believe, I mean really believe, this is our whole reason for existing. Life is not about us. Life is not about satisfying our desires. In one of the great doxologies of the Bible, the Apostle Paul would capture who life is all about – For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36). We must be convinced that life isn’t lived with shared wills; the Lord’s and ours. We died with Him, rose with Him, and that to live completely under the Lordship of Him who died and rose for us. Now be careful. It is easy to say, “I am living for the Lord’s will.” Like memory verses, that is easy to say. The Lord will test us to see if our profession is true, and the testing will be in our affections and attachments to this world. So, we pray that God would impress upon us our whole reason for existing – His glory.
Then, we apply that reason to every action and attitude in life. That means nothing in life is mundane, insignificant, or routine. The Apostle Paul said whatever you do, do for the glory of God and that means everything. From washing clothes, cleaning house, mowing the yard, going to work, taking care of kids, working on our marriages, interacting with people, and the use of our resources . . . nothing is left out of the motive in all of life – the glory of God. Before you consider saying, “Right, easy to say. Hard to do”, I get that and that leads to how we do this – constant dependence on God’s strength and help. We need grace all the time to live all of life for His glory, and He has promised to provide it. Here is our “grace supply” verse – But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me (1 Corinthians 15:10). May God help us to apply His grace so we may fulfill our created purpose – to do all things for His honor and glory!
PRAYER: “Father, help me more and more to apply Your truth in my life and attitude by what I know in my head.”
QUOTE: “To do all things for the glory of God requires a mind discipline to guide the heart and will to do just that.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim