Community Baptist Church - South Bend IN

I Corinthians 10:31 states, ”Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Bringing “glory to God” is a phrase we often hear, pray, and even try to live, yet how can we be assured we are truly bringing honor and glory to God? What is the standard of measurement?

Suppose for my wife’s birthday I would like to honor her, so I make plans for a special evening together. I plan to take her to downtown South Bend where we spend a few hours enjoying the College Football Hall of Fame, followed by reservations at a fine restaurant where I had spinach salads and fine fish dinners pre-ordered; we would finish the evening by taking in a South Bend Silverhawks baseball game.

Would my wife truly be honored? One could argue that she should be after all the thought and effort I put into planning the evening.

But the fact is after nineteen years of marriage, I know I would not be honoring my wife by our date. The College Football Hall of Fame would not interest her in the least (as seems to be the case with many others in our town as well). Without a good book to read, sitting through nine innings of a Silverhawks game would be nigh to torture for her. As for the meal, fish is not her favorite entrée, and she is highly allergic to spinach. Would I really be honoring my wife with such an evening? Obviously not!

Sadly, much of what is done in Christianity today fails to bring glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. God tells us that He is light and in Him is no darkness at all (I John 1), that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4), that we are not to love the world (I John 2); and He also tells us not to fashion ourselves after the world but to be holy as He is holy (I Peter 1). How can something bring glory to our Lord Jesus when it goes directly against the very nature and character of God? The answer is simple: It cannot. Yet much of Christianity today is based on music and non-separated lifestyles that are patterned directly after the ways of this unsaved world.

One may argue, “But I am sincere.” But where in God’s Word are we told sincerity makes us right with God? We can be sincere and yet be sincerely wrong. Only when my actions are in line with the nature and character of God, will I truly bring glory to Him. May the Lord give us discernment as we fight the wiles of the Devil in this present day.