Spotlight 14/2017: Glory be to God, but why?
Big words will not do. District Apostle Charles S. Ndandula (Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe) explains what is important when it comes to glorifying God.
God is worthy to be glorified because He knows everything and everyone. He is the creator of everything visible and invisible. Human beings can only design and create from what already exists, but they cannot create new life. Further, whatever is created by human beings lasts for a limited time. It cannot last for eternity. Human beings can only “create” from what God has already created. We have to fall back on what God has already created to design anything for our use. When people talk about the great achievements of mankind—such as the airplane, electricity, the telephone, the motor vehicle, or the Internet—they usually only refer to the inventor but never to the creator of the raw materials and the laws of nature, to God.
Words alone do not suffice to give glory to God. Glorifying God is something that must come from the heart and be accompanied by actions and behaviour that focus on Him. There are people who mean what they say. But there are also situations where people say something to save themselves or to get the best out of something for themselves. The best way to glorify God is therefore by our behaviour. That means we should live our lives in a manner that is consistent with the will of God. What is the will of God? It is God’s will that all mankind should be saved. That is the manifestation of God’s love for mankind. How can that be? Mankind must believe in God and in those whom God has sent: His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Apostles, who proclaim the gospel.
What is the will of God? It is God’s will that all mankind should be saved. That is the manifestation of God’s love for mankind. How can that be? Mankind must believe in God and in those whom He has sent: His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Apostles, who proclaim the gospel.
Therefore, let us glorify God our Father not only in words but in everything we do. Whatever we think, say, or do in life must give glory to God our Father. The Bible relates the parable of the two sons. A man asked both his sons to work in the vineyard. The first son refused, but then he regretted it and ended up going anyway. The second son immediately said that he would go but did not go. The first son therefore gave glory to his father. We owe our strength, knowledge, and everything else to God, the giver of all good and perfect gifts.
Photo: Oliver Rütten
