How Do I Bring Glory To God?

One of the questions that I hear a lot in ministry is “What is God’s will for my life?”  It is a question that is significant.  If we are going to live our lives for Jesus, than we must know what it is that He has for us…  His will.  So how do we live our lives in a way that brings glory to God?  Rick Warren gives us these 5 principles for giving our lives to glorify God:

WE BRING GOD GLORY BY WORSHIPPING HIM.  Worship is our first responsibility to God.  There is no doubt that we worship God by enjoying him.  C. S. Lewis once said, “In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him.”  Rick Warren said, “God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty.”  John Piper notes, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”  Worship is far more than praising, singing, or even praying to God.  I believe that worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving him, and given ourselves to be used for his purposes.  The Bible says, “Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.”

WE BRING GOD GLORY BY LOVING OTHER BELIEVERS. When you were born again, you became a part of God’s family.  Following Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God.  John wrote, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life.”  Paul said, “Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.”  It is your responsibility to learn how to love as God does, because God is love, and it honors him.  Jesus said, “As I have loved you, so you use love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

WE BRING GOD GLORY BY BECOMING LIKE CHRIST.  Once we are born into God’s family, he wants us to grow to spiritual maturity.  What does this look like?  Spiritual maturity is becoming like Jesus in the way we think, feel and act.  The more you develop Christlike character, the more you will bring glory to God.  The Bible says, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”  God gave you a new life and a new nature when you accepted Christ.  Now, for the rest of your life on earth, God wants to continue the process of changing your character.  The Bible says, “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

WE BRING GLORY TO GOD BY SERVING OTHERS WITH OUR GIFTS.  Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills, and abilities.  The way you’re wired is not an accident.  God didn’t give you your abilities for selfish purposes.  They were given to you to benefit others, just as others were given abilities to benefit you.  The Bible says, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you…. Are you called to help others?  Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.  The God will be given glory.”

WE BRING GOD GLORY BY TELLING OTHERS ABOUT HIM.  God doesn’t want his love and purposes kept a secret.  once we know the truth, he expects us to share it with others.  This is a great privilege – introducing others to Jesus, helping them discover their purpose, and preparing them for eternal destiny.  The Bible says, “As God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ,…  God will receive more and more glory.”

WHAT WILL YOU LIVE FOR?

“Wiki” Discipleship

I recently read an article on Ed Stetzer’s Blog about a book that Steve Murrell wrote, entitled “Wiki Church: Making Discipleship Engaging, Empowering, And Viral.”  I found his blog post intriguing.

The “wiki” part of Wikipedia is from a Hawaiian word meaning “quick,” as Wikipedia’s format allows for the quick and widespread dissemination of information online. While it may be an imperfect source, Wikipedia has made information widely available by simply empowering volunteers. However, it did not begin this way. In 2000 Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger started an online encyclopedia called Nupedia whose contributions were written solely by experts. Before an article could be posted, it had to go through an extensive scholarly review process. When Nupedia unplugged its servers in 2003, only twenty-four articles had been posted, with seventy-four still in the review process. In 2001, one year after Nupedia launched, Wales and Sanger started Wikipedia as a feeder system for Nupedia. The idea was to allow non-experts to write articles that the Nupedia scholars would review. By the end of the year, volunteers had submitted more than twenty thousand “wiki” articles. At the time of this writing, contributors from around the world have submitted more than nineteen million Wikipedia articles, and according to an independent survey, most are as accurate as traditional encyclopedia entries. Unfortunately, many churches today function more like Nupedia than Wikipedia. They allow only credentialed professionals to lead evangelism and discipleship efforts while volunteers are expected to show up and pay up but not engage in serious ministry. Imagine if the church functioned more like Wikipedia. Imagine if every believer, not just paid leaders, were empowered to minister. That’s a Wiki Church.

You can read the entire blog post HERE.

Did you here his challenge here?  Imagine if the church functioned more like Wikipedia. Imagine if every believer, not just paid leaders, were empowered to minister. That’s a Wiki Church.  What if we lived our lives this way as believers?  What if we actually did what we are called to do?  What if we lived our way that encompasses the true live as a disciple? What if we lived to make disciples?

This really hit home with me.  I want to live my life to make disciples.  How about you?