We have talked a lot about glory at our house this fall.

The glory of Friday night under the lights.

The glory of having an undefeated football team.

The glory of having my hubby, the coach, named “Coach of the week” by the Minnesota Vikings organization.

The glory of my hubby getting interviewed by the local TV stations (if you missed his interview and bold profession of faith, click here).

The glory that success brings.

We’ve talked a lot about glory because there are different kinds of glory and we want to make sure that we are all about the right kind of glory. We want to keep the main thing the main thing.

At our house, we want to live for the glory of God and not for the glory of man.

In other words, we want to make sure that amidst the glory Ben is receiving right now for coaching, we don’t lose sight of the fact that our goal is to bring God glory.

The glory of man is all about us: fame, wealth, and accolades bestowed on ourselves for what we accomplish. The world tells us to seek after those kinds of glory here on earth. But living for God’s glory is different than that.  The glory of God is all about seeking to honor and give credit to the one who created and holds all things in his hands.

I’ve been learning about the difference between man’s glory and God’s glory as I study the book of John. The crowds and the Pharisees completely missed out on a saving belief in Jesus because they were more concerned with man’s glory than God’s glory.

They couldn’t see who Jesus really was because they were looking for a miracle-working king and not a humble man of sorrows. They wanted the glory of a reigning king on earth, not the humility of a savior who chose death on a cross.

They were blinded to the truth of what really mattered because “they loved human praise more than the praise of God” (John 12:43).

They desired the wrong kind of glory and because of it, they missed out on the one thing that really mattered.

Friends, it is so easy to love the glory of man.

The spotlight. The accolades. The fanfare.

It’s fun.

It’s pretty cool to be in the spotlight.

But it’s fleeting and worthless compared to the infinite value of giving glory to God.

If we become enamored with the glory the world offers, we will be blinded to the truth of what really matters: bringing God glory.

Jesus knew this truth, and he lived it. His whole life glorified God. In his final hours he prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son so he can give glory back to you…I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17).

Everything he did pointed to the Father and gave him glory.  

Romans 11:36 frames it best: “ For everything comes from him and exists through his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever!”

 

We were made to give glory to God.

 

Because of this truth, our family is intentional in focusing our decisions, our time, our finances, and our talents so we can try to bring glory to the father.

Ben is not coaching so he can win games and collect trophies and get on TV. He took the job at Blaine out of obedience so he can share the truth and train boys how to become men who love and serve and give.

I am not writing to gain notoriety or build a big platform. I am writing so I can use the abilities God gave me to share his life-saving, grace-filled, never-failing love with others.

We kneel before him, every morning, and lay all of it at his feet: the coaching, the writing, the finances, the kids, our health. We ask that his will be done in our lives and not our own. We ask that he send his Spirit to empower us to carry out that will and bring him the glory. Whatever that may bring, we promise to walk forward for the sake of his name.

Because that is the goal of our work…God’s glory.

Not man’s. Not the TV cameras or the awards or the newspaper articles.

Not the platform or the notoriety.

God’s glory. All the praise and honor that is due him for his goodness.

I’m not saying that we aren’t thankful that God is choosing to bless Ben and his team. We are so beyond overwhelmed at the glory that is this season. But we view that glory through the lens of honor and praise to the God who made it happen. And we give him the glory for it all.

Win or lose.

Platform or not.

 

So let me humbly ask… what are you living for?

Is your highest goal the glory of man or the glory of God?

Are you driven by a desire for success and wealth and fame or a desire to glorify the Father?

 

Two of my favorite Psalms relating to glory are:

Psalm 29:2 “Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord for the splendor of his holiness.”

Psalm 63:2-3 “I have seen you in your sanctuary and beheld your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself, how I praise you.”

 

Let glorifying God be your highest goal.

Let your life be a reflection of the fullness of his glory.

Let his glory be better than life itself.