To Him Be the Glory (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21

Our God—Father, Son, and Spirit—deserves all glory, all honor, all worship, and all praise.

He is all-mighty, all-knowing, all-loving. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. He is Savior and Redeemer.

He is wise and just, righteous and holy. He is counselor and friend, ever-present and constant.

He is the Alpha and Omega. He has always been and will always be.

He is our strength, our refuge, our stronghold. He heals, protects, and provides.

He is our Shepherd, and He carries us when we’re weak.

He is the giver of peace and joy.

He is our guide and the lifter of our heads.

He works all things for good, and His plan is perfect.

He is everything we could ever want or ever need.

And one day, we’ll be able to stand in His very presence and worship Him eternally.

Boast in the Lord (2 Cor. 10:14-18)

Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:14-18

I know I’ve written about this before, but we really have nothing to boast about in ourselves. Or perhaps I should speak only of myself.

I’m so flawed. So very flawed.

I want so much to be a godly, humble woman, but then my flesh rears its ugly head. And suddenly, I’m discontent. Or I’m discouraged.

Or I’m prideful

I have the privilege to use a God-given gift, and someone affirms me. Instead of immediately giving praise and honor to the Lord, I think, “Yeah. I did well. Good for me.”

Instead of boasting in the Lord, I boast in myself. And that truly breaks my heart.

I know—truly know—that nothing I have, nothing I am, nothing I can do is of my own merit. My abilities to speak and write and teach come directly from God. It is His voice that sings or acts through me. I live in a home that He gave me. I drive a car that He provided.

And as Job said (and I paraphrase), “The Lord gives, and the Lord can take away.” Because it’s all His.

We have nothing to boast about. Absolutely nothing.

Instead, we should boast in the Lord, telling others of what He's done in and through us. We should share His stories of provision, protection, and comfort. We should give praise and gratitude to the One who chooses to bless us by entrusting His gifts and His things to us.

Glorifying God (2 Cor. 9:12-15)

Today’s scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:12-15

The age-old question: What is the meaning of life?

For Christ-followers, the meaning of our lives is our faith. And the purpose of our lives is to bring glory to God. Everything we do, everything we say, all that we are … to bring glory to God.

Sometimes we use a word over and over, and we forget its actual meaning. Good old Webster defines “glory” as “worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving.” So when we say we glorify God, we mean—or at least we should mean—we’re giving all praise (“worship” or “reverence”), all honor (“a showing of respect), all thanksgiving (“a prayer expressing gratitude).

So the next question is: Do we do these things? Do we truly praise God at all times, through good times and bad? Do we worship Him with the reverence and respect He so deserves? Do we show heartfelt gratitude for His blessings—and for the pain, knowing He’s using it to refine us?

It’s easy to take God for granted, and that’s tragic. We let days—or weeks or months—go by without spending time with Him. Oh, we thank Him when things are going well, and we cry out to Him when times are dark. But do we really, truly glorify Him—each and every day?

God is worthy of all honor, praise, worship, and yes, glory. And we as His very blessed children of grace should give Him all He deserves.