Can You Bring Glory to God?

Meditate. The angels sang about glory to God in the highest…and peace to men on earth.k

Don't long for "the good old days." This is not wise. Ecclesiastes 7:10

 

As we go into the New Year of 2022—don’t look back. Paul wrote to the Philippian church about the importance of pressing on, not looking back. Keep the goal in mind and run, as if you were in a race.

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:12-14

What is our goal? We may say that it is ultimately living in the New Jerusalem and being with Jesus wherever He goes. That is our heavenly, future goal. For today…for this new year…our goal should be to live faithfully for the Lord so that we bring glory to God. To live faithfully in this old, sinful world may be a challenge for some Christian, but God doesn’t expect us to be perfect—only Jesus is perfect. We can attain the holiness that He wants of us only as we confess our sins, day by day, moment by moment, and move on.

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Psalm 32:1-3

What did the good old days look like to you? Were they days filled with an easy life…dreams of simple pleasures, fast cars and a winning football team, or fun times at someone else’s expense? Don’t long for the good old days. Faithfully be wise and press on to the goal of bringing glory to God.

 

Prayer ~ Forgive me for my disobedience to You, in my thoughts, words, and actions. Thank You for mercifully forgiving me, Lord…for taking my sins to the cross, Jesus. …May I be completely faithful to You, LORD my God. May I always obey Your decrees and commands, just as I am doing today.– From 1 Kings 8:61

 

Honeysuckle growing in Israel.
Blooming in the desert.

Verses of Salvation ~ "Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. ... The LORD will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air. "Listen to me, my people. Hear me, Israel, for my law will be proclaimed, and my justice will become a light to the nations. My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm. Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!” Isaiah 51:1, 3-6

 

© 2022 Text, photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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