What is the glory of God? Most people would immediately understand it as the praise or adoration of God. Famous hymns that we know like “To God be the Glory” and “”Gloria in Excelsis Deo”” are praises that we sing because of who God is. However, if we look at the original meaning of the phrase “Glory of God”, it’s definitely more than what we can comprehend or describe. The Hebrew word for glory is kabod which means “weight” or “heaviness”, so in this case, the glory of God means His majesty, splendor and abundant riches.
The glory of God is also described as the external manifestation and presence of His being. This is reflected in Exodus 33 where Moses asked the Lord to show him His glory which Moses experienced it and witnessed His presence. In Exodus 40, the tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build was filled with the glory of God as a cloud covered the tabernacle.
Jesus Christ is one of the best examples of God’s glory as mentioned in Hebrews 1:3 & 2 Corinthians 4:6:
Hebrews 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven”
2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
As the glory of God is manifested through Jesus Christ (John 1:14), we can see the attributes of God displayed in human form – one of which is the love of God. In John 17:4, Jesus prays to the Father that He had brought Him glory on earth by finishing the work the Father has given Him to do – the ultimate death on the cross for us sinners so that with His resurrection, our relationship with God can be restored. As Jesus choose to glorify God by fulfilling God’s purpose’s for him on earth, here are a few suggestions of how we can glorify God as his children:
(i) Obedience
Just like Jesus obey the Father’s command to suffer on the cross for our sins, we as believers need to emulate Jesus through obedience to God. The Bible which is God’s Word for us is the source where we use it to build a right relationship with Him. As we obey His commands and submit to Him, we will begin to “bear much fruit” in our lives and thus God is glorified as stated in John 15:8:
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
(ii) Worship
Worship is more than singing and praising God. Worship is a lifestyle of enjoying Him. As John Piper once said:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him”.
When we use our lives for God’s glory, as per Romans 12:1, our lives become a spiritual act of worship.
(iii)Service
God has bestowed each of us with gifts and talents. When we use them to serve and help others, we glorify God as people will see Jesus in us and praise Him for the help that they have received. In 1 Peter 4:11, it states:
“If anyone speaks, he should do so as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
What is the next thing you would do to glorify God?
Brother Leo Deng Yong
