DRAWING NEAR
January 10
Living to the Glory of God
God chose us "to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He
freely bestowed on us in [His beloved Son]" (Eph. 1:6).
You were created to glorify God.
Englishman Henry Martyn served as a missionary in India and Persia in
the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Upon his arrival
in Calcutta, he cried out "Let me burn out for God." As he watched
the people prostrating themselves before their pagan idols and heard
blasphemy uttered against Christ, he wrote, "This excited more horror
in me than I can well express. . . . I could not endure existence if
Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me, if He were to be
always thus dishonored" (John Stott, Our Guilty Silence
[InterVarsity, 1967], pp. 21-22).
Martyn had a passion for God's glory--and he was in good company.
Angels glorify God (Luke 2:14), as do the heavens (Ps. 19:1) and even
animals (Isa. 43:20). But as a believer, you glorify God in a unique
way because you are a testimony to His redeeming grace.
You were created for the purpose of glorifying God--even in the most
mundane activities of life, such as eating and drinking (1 Cor.
10:31). You are to flee immorality so you can glorify God in your
body (1 Cor. 6:19-20). You are to walk worthy of your calling "that
the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified" (2 Thess. 1:12).
Glorifying God is an enormous privilege and an awesome
responsibility. When others see His character on display in your
life, it reminds them of His power, goodness, and grace. But when
they don't, it dishonors God and calls His character into question.
Aim your life at God's glory and make it the standard by which you
evaluate everything you do.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank the Lord for the privilege of glorifying Him.
Ask Him to show you any areas of your life that do not honor Him.
Find a trusted Christian friend who will pray with you and hold you
accountable for the areas you know need to change.
For Further Study:
Read Exodus 33:12-34:8.
What did Moses request?
What was God's response and what does it teach us about His glory?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Luke 2:14 (NKJV)
14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward
men!
Psalm 19:1
19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows
His handiwork.
Isaiah 43:20
20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the
ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the
desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
1 Corinthians 10:31
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your
own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Exodus 33:12-34:8
12 Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this
people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet
You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in
My sight.'
13 "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show
me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in
Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you
rest."
15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do
not bring us up from here.
16 "For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found
grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate,
Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the
earth."
17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you
have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by
name."
18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I
will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion."
20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me,
and live."
21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on
the rock.
22 "So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in
the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass
by.
23 "Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My
face shall not be seen."
34:1 And the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the
first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on
the first tablets which you broke.
2 "So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount
Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.
3 "And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen
throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before
that mountain."
4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses
rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had
commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and
proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness
and truth,
7 "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the
third and the fourth generation."
8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshiped.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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