When is the last time you used the word “glorious”? Maybe you said something like, “Wow! Tonight’s sunset is glorious.” Or maybe you said, “Mmm… That hamburger smells glorious!” Or maybe you don’t remember the last time you’ve used the word. Glorious is not a super common word we use on a day to day basis, but when we do use it, we are usually declaring that something is beautiful, admirable, or amazing. When the word “glory” is used in the Bible, it can also refer to the honor, praise, and/or worship of someone.
Throughout the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was surrounded by Egyptians, Canaanites, and other pagan peoples. All of these peoples had many different gods and idols that they served and worshipped. This is why God commanded His chosen people to have no other gods and to not make any images or idols to worship and serve (Exodus 20:3-6). God is the only true God, and He alone is worthy of our praise and worship, even if everyone else disagrees.
In America (and other predominantly monotheistic countries), we do not often encounter people who are polytheistic or who worship and serve little figurines of people or animals. This can trick us into believing that we never struggle with the sin of idolatry.
The reality is that we likely struggle with idolatry every single day, though it looks different today than the idolatry of the Israelites in biblical times. We commit idolatry when we make someone or something more important that they actually are, more important than God. Something or someone becomes an idol when we center our lives around it and give it glory instead of God. We can worship money, popularity, or intellect. We can worship our stuff, like clothes or cars. We can worship the activities that we spend a lot of our time doing. We can worship our body image or our gender. We can worship celebrities, friends, or romantic partners. We can even worship ourselves. But none of these people or things are worthy of our praise and adoration. The only One who is worthy of our worship is God. John records in Revelation:
“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’” Revelation 5:11-13, ESV
In this passage, the Apostle John is seeing a vision of the end times. He writes that all humans, all creatures, and all heavenly beings will worship God in the way He deserves. God deserves all worship, all glory, all honor, all blessing. Our God is glorious, worthy of our worship! And He is truly beautiful and awesome.
R.C. Sproul agrees with John in his book, Everyone’s a Theologian,
“The One who is supreme deserves the obedience and the worship of those whom He has made.” (1)
Because our God is glorious and deserving of worship, we must do as the Apostle Paul commands in his first letter to the Corinthians:
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Some of the things we do may seem mundane or frivolous at times, but Paul encourages us to worship and glorify God even in these tasks by doing them in a way that would please Him. As you are studying for your next test, glorify God. As you are changing dirty diapers, glorify God. As you are folding laundry, glorify God. As you are waiting forever in carline, glorify God. As you sit at your 9 to 5 desk, glorify God. Whatever you are doing today, do it all to the glory of God. Worship Him even in your menial tasks, and always be careful to not put anyone or anything in His rightful place. Praise God today:
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,” Revelation 19:1b
1. R.C. Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2014), 65.
