Title: Glory to God alone
only glory to God
Text: Psalm 115:1
“Glorify us, O LORD, do not glorify us, but glorify your name alone, for you are loving and faithful.”
In Acts 12:21-23, we read that Herod, wearing a robe, sat on the altar and spoke to the people on a chosen day, and the people called out aloud, saying, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” But Herod did not give glory to God. So the angel of the Lord struck him immediately, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Do you know what the decisive mistake Moses made in not entering the land of Canaan while looking at it? The Lord said to Moses, Take the staff and assemble the congregation together with Aaron your brother, and in their sight you command the rock to bring water. (Numbers 20: 7-8) Moses took the staff before the Lord as he had commanded them. But Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, shall we bring you water out of this rock for you?" (Numbers 20:10). This is why they asked, “Should we bring water?” as if they were performing miracles in God’s amazing work.
Heretical lords, Catholic popes, and proud pastors are robbers who, like Herod, steal the glory of God.
One of the lowest acts of self-centered people is taking the merits of others into their own. The fundamental purpose of our life on this earth is to show the glory of God. God has designed the whole universe, the children of Israel, the Word of God, Christ, all mankind, and all the saints to reveal His glory. We can glorify God by witnessing to our neighbors who God is and who He is through our mindset and lifestyle.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
No matter what we do or how we have performed the Lord's work, we must hide ourselves and only give glory to God.
In John 17:1, Jesus prays, “Father, the hour has come; glorify the Son, that the Son may glorify the Father.” Jesus was also crucified at Golgotha to glorify God. I must confess, “I die every day,” and become a faithful child of God by living a life that only gives glory to God.
Also, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). When my honor and pride die, the glory of God will appear. John the Baptist sent his disciples to be disciples of Jesus, saying, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). Like John the Baptist, we must empty ourselves and humble ourselves to glorify God.
My son Seungji was smart and very handsome when he was young. So when people praised him, he replied, “It is the grace of God.” The Christians who heard this even praised my son Seung-ji’s faith even more.
Perhaps the Apostle Paul had the same thought. The Apostle Paul is the best apostle, missionary, and pastor recognized by Christians. So what did he confess?
“It is by the grace of God that I am what I am, and his grace that was given to me was not in vain. I labored more than all the apostles, but it was not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
According to Acts 10:25, 26, when Cornelius, a Roman centurion, first met Peter, he fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter got up and said to him, “Stand, I am also a man.” In the verse, when Paul and Barnabas saw a man in Lystra who had crippled feet, and he saw that he had faith to be saved, stand up with a loud voice. When they saw the man getting up and walking, the crowds took Paul and Barnabas in human form They were called one god and wanted to worship and make sacrifices, but they stopped them and only gave glory to God.
Johann Sebastian Bach is the musician who left the most beautiful music in human history. Bach's life was a series of indescribable adversity. I lost both my parents before I was 10 years old. He hated and abused his older brother who had raised him. After 13 years of marriage, he had to divorce his beloved wife. remarried. In all, they had 20 children.
But 10 of them died young. Another was a mentally retarded child. He grew old and became blind. Then he collapsed from a brain hemorrhage and became paralyzed. But Bach devoted all his life to praising and glorifying Almighty God.
At the end of his cantatas and oratorios he always wrote S.D.G.
It was an abbreviation of the phrase <Glory to God alone!> (Sola Deo Gloria). God blessed Bach, who did not give up in the face of adversity and thought only of the glory of God.
As such, those who live by believing in the High Priest Jesus Christ can always live with thoughts higher than heaven and a beautiful heart.
The fundamental spirit of the Reformation was 'Sola Scriptura', 'Christ alone' (Solus Christus), 'Faith alone' (Sola Fide), 'Grace alone' (Sola Gratia), and 'Glory to God alone' (Soli). Deo Gloria's Five Principles. And the Bible verse that the Reformers cherish the most is Romans 11:36, “For all things come from the Lord, and through the Lord and to the Lord, and to him is the glory for ever and ever.”
I pray in the name of the Lord that today will be a beautiful day to give glory to only God.
* Prayer: Thank you, Heavenly Father, who will be glorified alone for ever and ever. God has given us a covenant of blessing. Keep the commandments in the Word of God, do not forget the grace of God, do not serve idols, but go forth glorifying God. Help me to remember your grace to the end, thank you, and move forward with humility. Let our eyes see only your kingdom and your image. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.