From Sunrises To Spreadsheets: Everything Must Reflect God’s Glory
I have known this verse for ages. I have heard it in prayers. I have heard it in sermons. I have read it. I have even used it myself. Sometimes, it feels like the perfect way to end a sentence or something I say in a prayer when I run out of reasons to justify whatever I am asking God for. The verse is so familiar and seems so patently obvious that I easily assume I understand it—even if I don’t.
Recently, I found myself thinking about
what it really means. It seems like an important verse in the Bible, as it
appears multiple times in one way or another. Not only that, but it’s clear
that bringing glory to God isn’t limited to just one particular action—Paul
says it applies to everything I do. Eating? I must do it to the glory of God.
Drinking? I must do it to the glory of God. Whatever I do? I must do to the
glory of God.
Paul uses the mundane tasks of life to show
that everything must be done to the glory of God. He doesn’t limit this to
teaching a Sunday school class, preaching, or evangelizing. It’s easy for me to
approach these tasks with the mindset that I shouldn’t do them just so people
will look at me and think, ‘This guy really is a Christian—I should try to
be like him.’ So, I tell myself that I must do it to the glory of God. I
even pray about it, asking God that I must decrease so that He must increase.
But how does bringing glory to God actually
work? Usually, when I see someone earn a couple of A’s in class, I think to
myself, ‘That person is really intelligent.’ I see someone at work getting
promoted and then poached by big companies, and I think, ‘That person really
understands this finance stuff.’
Why did I go to school? Why did I go even
further and attend the highest learning institution in the land? Why do I work?
Why do I do anything that I do? Is it just to put food on my table, support my
family, and survive until the time God has appointed to call me home? That
can’t be it—there must be more.
When God was creating the world, each time
He made something, He saw that it was good. He created the sun, the moon, and
the sky, and He saw that it was good. Think of the sunrises and sunsets in all
their beauty. He created the land and the seas, and He saw that they were good.
Think of the lakes and oceans, with their beauty stretching far beyond what the
eye can see. God created nature and saw that it was good. Think of the forests
in all their majesty, stretching high above our heads as we walk beneath them.
You see, God was not just putting things
together to make life possible for man. Whatever He made, He made beautifully,
and He saw that it was good. Now, each time I see a sunrise, each time I see a lake,
or each time I see a forest in all their beauty, I pause and praise God within
me. Why? Because He created them to bring glory to Himself!
Then after God created all the things we
see around us, He made man in His own image. That’s a big deal, and I’ll
explain why in a moment. After He created man, He said to him, 'Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the
sea, the birds of the heavens, and every living thing that moves on the earth.'
He repeated this command to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even to Israel in
Egypt. Hold on to this thought, and the one before it.
God made us in His image, and because of
that, we can build things that reflect the beauty with which He created the
world. I think of all the beautiful things man has built. The Pyramids of Giza,
constructed hundreds of years ago, still draw people from all over the world.
And there are many other examples, like the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China,
and more. These have been built by people who are no more superior to me, but
who have taken God's command to 'be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth,
subdue it, and have dominion over it' to heart, whether they realize it or not!
God created me in His own image. And so,
whatever I do—whether I eat or drink, what time I arrive at the office, when I
leave, how excellent my work is, how I love those around me—everything about
how I live my life must reflect the glory and grandeur that God put into His
creation. Jesus explained this when He said, 'Let your light shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.'
When I came to repentance and faith in
Jesus Christ, not only did He renew my relationship with God, He renewed my
relationship with everything that I do. I am not only changed on the inside, I am
changed on the outside as well so that everything I do must reflect that newness.
When the people around me look at my life they must see truth, beauty and
goodness and so turn to God and praise Him for just how good He is in His
graciousness. That’s what it means to do all things to the glory of God! This
is the primary purpose for my existence!
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