So I ask myself this question after today’s Mass….
“Do I really Glorify God?”
What does that mean exactly? To “glorify”?
Well Mr. Webster says this:
Taken from: www.webster.com (content edited)
Main Entry: glo·ri·fy
1. a : to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration
b : to elevate to celestial glory
2 : to light up brilliantly
3 : to represent as glorious : extol
4 : to give glory to (as in worship)
Read those definitions closely. Very closely.
Do you bestow honor, praise, or admiration on God? Do you light Him up brilliantly?
Do you represent Him as glorious?
That one hurts. This is where I cried enough! Honestly, when you say to someone that you are a Christian, do you then represent Him as GLORIOUS! Consistently?
1 Cor 6:20 says, “For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.”
I can do that. I am modest, have worked really hard to respect the dignity of others. Have rooted out and continue to root out any objectification of others from my mind and heart. I am not perfect, but I think I do this pretty okay.
But then I read this…
O LORD, you are my God, I will extol you and praise your name; For you have fulfilled your wonderful plans of old, faithful and true. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; The castle of the insolent is a city no more, nor ever to be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will honor you, fierce nations will fear you. For you are a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in distress; Shelter from the rain, shade from the heat. As with the cold rain, as with the desert heat, even so you quell the uproar of the wanton. Is 25:1-5
What gets me is verse 3. “Therefore a strong people will honor you…”
Am I strong people? Are you? Are we? Check out what Paul writes to the Romans in 15:5-7
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.
I don’t know about you, but that describes a place I desire to be. A Church. Not a brick and mortar place, but a people “set apart” for one purpose. TO GLORIFY! For me, bringing God glory has been about learning to Love. I have and continue to learn not judge or berate or belittle; but instead to love, to commend, and to build up.
Yesterday on the plane back from MI I sat next to a lady who is searching. She is married, her husband sat across the isle with their 2 beautiful kids. They live an average American life. But something is missing. We talked and she lit up as I shared my conversion story with her and talked about faith. She took notes when I said things like “persistence is what sets apart the successful from the not”. (The Saints were persistent. Think about it. I have another post on this coming soon). All in all, this was an amazing conversation, one divinely scheduled by the Master Carpenter.
The beautiful thing is that after we parted off the plane I thought I missed an opportunity. We shared a great conversation; her husband is the one that really needs to learn that he is loved by God. And I didn’t seek him out to tell him or to talk with him. And as I began to tell God I was sorry I didn’t do everything in my power to Love this man….there he was, standing in front of me waiting for his wife. Now keep in mind I went to the restroom, and took my time wandering because I knew it would take a while for the luggage to be unloaded, etc. This is an airport, there are hundreds of people. How is it that I almost run into the one person I so desperately wanted to Love.
So, I stopped, stunned for a moment, and then as if I knew what I supposed to do, I handed him my book and said, “Here, God wants you to read this. I think you will enjoy it.” He said thank you. And I went on my way. Almost to the sound track of some chick flick with a happy ending. The whole thing was surreal.
What does this have to do with glorifying God? Well, honestly, everything. The book has nothing to do with it, nor does the circumstance. To me, I repented and He saw fit to give me a chance to say Yes again. That is glorifying God.
Repenting and saying yes Lord.
It IS that simple.
Take some time to review the definitions of Glorify and see if you fit. If not, perhaps it’s time to take stock in who God is, and who you are called to be. Here is a simply examination to help.
- Do I bring praise, honor, and admiration to God?
- Do I elevate my soul to the supernatural in prayer and attention to the Holy Spirit daily?
- Do I allow Christ to light up my life “brilliantly”?
- Do I, in my words and actions, represent God as glorious?
- Do I give God glory in worship often?
If you answered no to any of these, then you are like the rest of us….human. God writes in Is 43:4, “Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and because I love you…” Do not be discouraged by imperfection, rather be hopeful. If you recognize that you are imperfect then you are willing and open to receive the Grace from He who Is perfect. There is no such thing as imperfect Grace. Every time we pray we become more like Him, and that is enough.
Tonight I pray that I will glorify God with all my being. I pray for you the same. I am blessed to be in Church with others and to see Him in them. I leave you with this.
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” – MT 5:16
PS: I should note, the book was “Be A Man” by Fr. Larry Richards.
Tags: awe, bob, Body of Christ, Catholic, Christ, church, conversion, Glorify, grace, life, lord, love, prayer, Society, teaching
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