God’s Glory and Our Joy

In my previous post I mentioned further discussing God’s concern for His glory. This can be a foreign and awkward topic for many Christians. It was initially for me. Even most of us who grew up in the church, Sunday and Wednesday-nighters included, are not familiar with the biblical understanding of God’s preeminent pursuit of His glorious name being known, protected and preserved. Whether this truth is misunderstood or neglected, the common result often manifests through man-centered faith, not God-glorifying faith. We may misguidedly think that God is primarily concerned about us, not Himself.

Scripture reveals that God is primarily concerned with bringing about events for His name’s sake (1 Sam 12:22; Ps 23:3, 25:11, 31:3, 79:9, 106:8, 109:21, 115:1, 143:11; Isa 48:9,11, 66:5, Jer 14:7,21; Ezek 20:9,14,22,44, 36:22; Dan 9:19; Acts 9:16, Rom 1:5, 1 Jn 2:12, Rev 2:3) and acting on behalf of His glory (Ex 14:4,17-18; Ps 79:9, 115:1; Isa 42:8, 48:11; Ezek 39:21; Zech 2:5; Jn 11:4,40, 17:5,24; Acts 12:23; Rom 9:23; 2 Cor 4:6; Phil 4:19; Col 2:27; 1 Pet 4:11; Rev 4:11). God also pointedly reveals why He created mankind in Isa 43:7. He speaks through the prophet Isaiah, “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

Perhaps you’re now convinced that God seeks His own glory above all else, but you’re wondering, “Why?” You wouldn’t likely verbalize this question, but are you pondering whether this makes God self-centered or egotistical? The answer is, only if God isn’t truly God. For any person other than God to glorify and make much of themself, this behavior reveals egotism and pride. People like this are hard to stomach for any prolonged period of time. Their behavior is a turn-off because everyone else is quite aware of these people’s shortcomings. On the other hand, God is perfect and the essence of all that is magnificent, beautiful and worthy of praise. It is deep, but the following statement is true: If God values anything other than Himself before Himself, He’s guilty of committing idolatry. Certainly God does not do this!

Niagra Falls' magnificence, uniqueness and awe-inspiring views attract admirers from all over the world. Similarly, by placing His worthiness, honor and glory on display for all to see, God attracts people to the only thing in the universe that can fully satisfy their souls, which is Himself. A deep and abiding relationship with the God of the universe is the final destination of all people’s quest for soul satisfying joy. Psalm 16:11 states this truth beautifully, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God’s pursuit of His preeminent glory and His provision of our ultimate joy is the same end!