Glorify God: do the will of God from the heart
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
Psalm 73:25
You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honour and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.
Revelation 4:11
To glorify God is the highest service that we can render to our Maker, and indeed the Bible teaches that it is the very purpose for which we exist. In Isaiah 43:7 we read:
Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.
Isaiah 43:7
What does it mean to glorify God? How can we glorify God?
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, the Bible says: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
To glorify God, I believe, is to do and to delight in doing the will of God. Life is about God. He is our Creator, Redeemer, Provider, Sustainer and our All-in-all. True life can only be lived in loving obedience to His will. In Jeremiah 10:23 we read:
O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
The world tells us otherwise but as the children of God, the very focus of our life is on Him. We delight in honouring, loving, obeying and worshipping Him. We glorify God when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we recognise the unspeakable greatness and worthiness of God. We live in awe and reverence of Him. We desire to do His will from the heart. We do not want to grieve Him. Accordingly, we daily set God and His will above all else.
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36
In our unregenerate state, we naturally centre on ourselves. Our self-love is continually on display particularly in this age of social media. In our thoughts, words, decisions, and actions, self is king. Flesh rules. Life is all about doing what we desire and pleasing ourselves. Sin is the norm, the natural man’s element. In this state, we can and we do, of course, do some relatively benevolent deeds but our motives are inevitably impure. Our hearts are simply unclean, unwashed. The natural man is in desperate need of a new heart through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit – Titus 3:5. But until God graciously draws him, he does not know it – John 6:44. He cannot seek to know and to do the will of God.
But this is not so with a Christian. A Christian is one whose spiritually blinded eyes have been mercifully opened by the Holy Spirit. He has been translated from one realm to another, having turned from darkness to light and from the rule of Satan to God. A Christian is one who was once “dead in trespasses” but has now been raised to new life. He has received forgiveness of sin and is counted among those whom God is graciously sanctifying through faith in Jesus Christ – Acts 26:18. A Christian, then, is one who has been set apart, consecrated unto God and called to live for the glory of God.
Are you living for the glory of God? Are you doing the will of God? Is this not the greatest question that every one who professes Christ should frequently ask themselves? James reminds us that life is a vapour that appears for a little while and then vanishes away – James 4:14.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
We need to know the will of God, and we need to use our limited time wisely to fulfil God’s will for our lives. We are exhorted, in Ephesians 5:15-17, as follows:
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Our Lord Jesus exemplified, for us, the very goal of life: knowing and doing the Father’s will. In John 6:38, Jesus said to the crowd round about Him in Jerusalem:
…I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
He said to His disciples, at the occasion of His ministry to the woman at the well:
My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
John 4:34
As followers of Christ, must we not do the same? We must surely be about our Father’s business. It must be our all-consuming passion. If this is not the case and we profess to follow Christ, then we must go to God in fervent and continued prayer that it might be so.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.
Psalm 40:8
Do we delight to do the will of God? Is the law of God within our heart?
Doing the will of God means that we follow closely and joyfully the commandments of God – 1 John 5:3. They are not burdensome because the Holy Spirit has brought the love of God to our hearts. And those who love God will obey His commandments – John 14:15. We love Him because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19. His commandments are not burdensome because the Spirit of God, given to those that obey Him, energises and empowers us to obey God – Acts 5:32. To God be all glory!
Doing the will of God is so vitally important that our Lord Jesus used this as a marker for those who belong to the everlasting family of God. He said, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother,” (Mark 3:35); and in Luke 11:28, Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
The Bible is replete with instructions on doing the will of God. Consider and meditate on the following.
On prayer:
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
Luke 18:1
On evangelism:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15
On forgiveness:
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:15
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12
On relations within families:
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:22
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
Ephesians 5:25
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honour your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:1-3
On relations with people:
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 12:18
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
Hebrews 12:14
On persecution:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…
Matthew 5:10-12
But I say to you, love your enemies…
Matthew 5:44
It is clearly the will of God that we regularly and diligently study His word. It is also clearly God’s will that we meditate on His word, that our minds and thinking are renewed and continually aligned with His will – Romans 12:2.
Paul, the apostle, prayed fervently for the Colossian saints that they might know, understand and do the will of God.
For this reason we also…
Colossians 1:9-10
Epaphras laboured similarly in prayer that the Colossians may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God – Colossians 4:12.
Part of doing the will of God is that we desire and are motivated to serve in the local church, in accordance with the spiritual gift received from the Lord.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles…
Ephesians 4:11-13
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we learn that the purpose of God’s word is, in essence, to teach us God’s will and to equip us to do the His will.
What a high calling it is to be Christian…
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
And the world is passing away…
1 John 2:17
If you are young, glorify God as He exhorts:
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth.
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Jesus said:
Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise…
2 Peter 3:9
God, in His faithfulness, promises to be with us throughout our lives…
Now may the God of peace…
Hebrews 13:20-21