It’s all for Him. It’s that simple really. The reason God created everything is to show His glory. This leads to the question of what is God’s glory? Warren answers this by saying, “it is the essence of His nature, the weight of His importance, the radiance of His splendor, the demonstration of His power, and the atmosphere of His presence.” I would suggest you read that again because there is some incredible depth in that sentence. Since the dawn of creation God’s glory has been on display. God’s greatest display of His glory was in His Son, Jesus, who came to earth and gave glory to God in everything He did.
I agree entirely with Warren’s teaching here, but find it difficult to reconcile it with his teaching in day two where he states that God created me to love me. Which is it? Did He create me primarily to love me or primarily so I could bringing Him glory? I am much more comfortable with the latter since I believe it is more grounded in Scripture.
In all of creation there are only two things that do not bring glory to God. They are fallen angels and people. Everytime we sin we rob God of glory. The very nature of sin is selfishness – refusing to give glory to God.
Now that we know what God’s glory is and we know that we were created for His glory, the natural question is, “how can I bring glory to God.” And of course, that is what the rest of the book is dedicated to. Through the remaining 32 days of the study, Warren will lead me through five purposes, each of which brings glory to God. They are:
- I bring glory to God by worshipping Him.
- I bring glory to God by loving other believers.
- I bring glory to God by becoming like Christ.
- I bring glory to God by serving others with my gifts.
- I bring glory to God by telling others about Him.
Warren ends the chapter by asking, “What will you live for?” There really are only two options. I can either live for myself or I can live for God. He invites me to believe in God and then to receive Jesus into my life. Of course as a Christian I have already made this committment, so evidently this section is aimed at someone wishing to dedicate his life to God for the first time. Warren leads that person to pray, “Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you.” That prayer strikes me as incomplete. The Bible continually teaches that confession of sin is a necessary prerequisite to receiving forgiveness. I am not sure why Warren does not ask people to first confess their sinfulness to God, but I assume that in his mind it would impact the “seeker-friendliness” of the book. I would beg to differ and really believe he should have included this.
Bible Passages
Warren quotes the Bible twenty four times in this chapter using eight translations and paraphrases. Generally speaking he uses accurate translations and uses them within their proper context.
Point To Ponder
Today’s point to ponder is “It’s all for Him.” I find that most people, and I am certainly no exception, find it easy to give glory to God when enjoying corporate worship. When standing in a church, singing worshipful songs with a band and with hundreds of other Christians, it is easy to feel that we are bringing glory to God. The same holds true when I am reading the Bible and praying or worshipping in a private setting. What is far more difficult is to feel that I can bring glory to God in my boring day-to-day tasks. I find it difficult to believe sometimes that when I sit at my desk for eight or ten hours tapping away on my keyboard, I can actually bring glory to God. Yet if I do so with the proper attitude, the proper mindset, I can do this. Conversely, if I do so with the wrong attitude I can rob Him of glory. As a Christian it is my responsibility to examine everything I do to determine if it will bring glory to God. And as I do so I can look forward to eternity when all I do, every thought, word and deed, will bring Him the glory He deserves!
Up Next
Tomorrow’s topic is Planned For God’s Pleasure
