Thursday December 07, 2017

 

It’s easy to thank God when things are going well; it’s easy to give Him glory when the doctor tells you that you’ve been healed from cancer. It’s easy to thank Him when the boss gives you a big bonus. It’s easy to give thanks when things are going well. We’re even willing to testify to how great God is. But in spite of that our tendency is to say thank you Lord and move on with our lives and never truly give Him the glory.

 

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

– Romans 11:36 NIV

 

We forget to give God the glory in the good times and it almost never runs through our minds to give Him glory in the bad times. In the bad times instead of giving Him glory we begin to question, we begin to complain and we get upset and wonder why God has abandoned us. Because we see no glory in working year after year for a corporation and then the boss comes along and fires you. We see no glory in being diagnosed with a terminal illness. We see no glory in the death of a loved one. In the good times we forget and highjack His glory. In the bad times we, question and complain and never even consider giving Him glory. Instead of reflecting God’s glory we reflect what is truly important to us, me! My glory! When things go well, “Thank you Lord, see you later.” When things go wrong, “Why me Lord? Where are you when I need you?”

 

Bible reading John 11:1-43 NIV
Key Verses 1-7

 

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 

When Jesus arrived to Bethany he found that Lazarus had died and had been buried for four days. Martha, Lazarus’ sister said to Jesus, “it’s too late had you been here I know my brother would be alive today.” Isn’t that the same way we think when things go wrong? I know you’re almighty God creator of the universe, but it’s too late. It’s, over, done finished. How wrong we are, how wrong Martha was. Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” And out from the tomb came a resurrected Lazarus.

 

We need to learn to look at our lives through a new lens, from a different perspective. We need to see life through the lens of everything being created through God, by God and for God. We need to learn not to forget God when things go well, and to not question Him when we think things are going wrong. Immediately after the resurrection of Lazarus Jesus’ fame grew so much that people would come out to see Him. Upon his arrival to Jerusalem they lined the road with palm branches and shouted, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD!”

 

Lazarus and all the people received the blessing and God received all the Glory!
It’s simple, we receive the blessing and God gets all the glory.

 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the good times and I thank you for the difficulties in my life. I don’t want anything to get in the way of me giving you all the glory. Blessed be your name!