Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your faithful love, because of Your truth. (Psalm 115:1)(HCSB)We need to be people who are constantly giving all glory and praise to our God. In a society and culture that is ever-increasing in the promotion of self and selfishness, we must diligently keep God on the throne of our hearts and not let self sneak back into the chair. We are bombarded with self-centered phrases like, "Do what's right for you!" and "What's in it for me?" and "Look at me and what I've accomplished." We need to realize that we can't do anything at all, not even take the next breath, without God's help. Let's not be like Herod who was struck down because he didn't give God the glory, but presumed to be a god himself.
(Acts 12:20-23) So on an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a public address to them. The populace began to shout, "It's the voice of a god and not of a man!" At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died. (HCSB)
There's a new praise song called "Give You Glory", written by Jeremy Camp, that reminds us to always give glory where it's due. In fact, we're singing it in worship this Sunday at RABC. Take a look at some of the lyrics to the song:
We have raised a thousand voices
just to lift Your holy name
And we will raise thousands more to sing
of Your beauty in this place
Oh none can even fathom
no not one define Your worth
As we marvel in Your presence to the ends of the earth
(chorus)
We give You glory
lifting up our hands and singing "Holy"
You alone are worthy
we just want to touch Your heart, Lord,
touch Your heart
Glory, lifting up our voice and singing "Holy"
You alone are worthy
we just want to touch Your heart, Lord,
touch Your heart
As we fall down before You
with our willing hearts we seek
In the greatness of Your glory
it's so hard to even speak
There is nothing we can offer
no nothing can repay
So we give You all our praises
and lift our voice to sing
(repeat chorus)
just to lift Your holy name
And we will raise thousands more to sing
of Your beauty in this place
Oh none can even fathom
no not one define Your worth
As we marvel in Your presence to the ends of the earth
(chorus)
We give You glory
lifting up our hands and singing "Holy"
You alone are worthy
we just want to touch Your heart, Lord,
touch Your heart
Glory, lifting up our voice and singing "Holy"
You alone are worthy
we just want to touch Your heart, Lord,
touch Your heart
As we fall down before You
with our willing hearts we seek
In the greatness of Your glory
it's so hard to even speak
There is nothing we can offer
no nothing can repay
So we give You all our praises
and lift our voice to sing
(repeat chorus)
So let us all come to the realization that it's not about us and what we've done, but it's about giving God the glory for all that He's done for us and in us and through us! As we seek to worship the Lord with our daily lives, let's remember that there's nothing we can offer, and there's no way we can repay Him for all He's done, so we should be careful to do everything for His glory! (1 Cor. 10:31)
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper