Everything for the Glory of God

In my blog last week, I mentioned a message based on 1 Corinthians 10:31, which states that whatever we do, do it for the glory of God. Everything was created by God and for His glory (Rom. 11:36; Rev.4:11); Creation’s purpose is to reveal God’s glory and power.

Simply said, we are to let our actions reflect God’s character and nature.

Let us take a moment to ask ourselves and God if we are doing anything contrary to this – let’s be honest with ourselves – and allow God to reveal anything that is not bringing Him glory. Let’s ask Him to help us remove it. Every aspect of our lives has the potential to honor God. We can trust God to remove anything that hinders us from bearing fruit in our lives.

Jesus highlights this analogy with the fig tree. From a distance, the tree’s green leaves gave it the appearance of being fruit-bearing, but it wasn’t. Jesus cursed the tree, and it withered (Mark 11:12-14; 20-26). We are meant to get rid of what doesn’t produce fruit in our lives.

The ESV Study Bible records that the cursing signifies the judgment of God on fruitless Jewish people who turned away from God into empty ritual and legalism (Hos. 9:10-17). This visual parable from Jesus illustrates His relentless pursuit of the genuine fruit of worship, prayer, and righteousness within the Jewish nation and its religious practices.

We can bear fruit in our lives, even amid turmoil and morally confusing situations. We always have another option, rather than giving in to temptations. There is always another choice. God always provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). After Paul enlightens us to this truth, he goes on in verse 14 to say, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Let’s substitute ‘because’ here. Because God always provides a way of escape from temptation, we should flee from idolatry. We have a choice.

Idolatry takes on many forms. Essentially, anything we prioritize above God or in His place is an idol in our lives. God is to be first over everything. Therefore, everything in our lives should bring glory to God.

I wish I had known this years ago. When we think we only have two options, we make bad decisions. I use a cheesecake analogy with the women in the support group I lead – if we’re hungry and all we have is cheesecake, we’ll eat it. Even if we know it isn’t healthy for us. We may enjoy cheesecake, but it is not a sustainable option. Don’t settle for the cheesecake when God offers a whole banquet at the palace of a King.

We need to be informed to make the best decisions. If we aren’t in God’s Word, learning about His character and the truth of what He says about us and what He wants for us, we will make ill-informed decisions based on what is in front of us, which can sometimes be detrimental to our well-being.

Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best. In other words, don’t compromise integrity for momentary pleasure.

Back to the Garden of Eden, humans used fig leaves to hide from God, after the first sin occurred (Gen. 3:7). If we are not producing fruit in our lives, no amount of greenery (or the appearance of doing good) will hide us from God. We can make better choices for a better life. We can reach our highest potential with God’s help – a life that Glorifies Christ, in the light of God’s truth about us and who we are in Him.

As believers, we are daughters and sons of the King. Let us live like it and bring Glory to God through the fruit in our lives. A life that produces fruit is the best testimony to Jesus Christ.

“You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21, emphasis added).