In I Corinthians 10:31 we read…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” This has been given to us often as a rule of life. We are told we must use our time and all of our possessions to the glory of God for they are given to us by God. In whatever we do we must glorify God. Whether we go to work, to school, to church, or on vacation we must do all to the glory of God.
But, exactly what is the “glory of God”. Man most often thinks of glory in terms of his reputation. To man, glory is fame. It is glory for man if everyone knows what a good man he is and what a good thing he has done, for he is then famous. Imagine if we had to make ourselves recognized before God by doing something good to make ourselves known. How could our perfect God, except through the blood of His Son, recognize us when we can do nothing but sin.
The Bible speaks of glory in many different ways. We read of Solomon in all his glory. In this case glory seems to be wealth, riches, and splendor. The glory of God is often spoken of in connection with His appearance. This is usually a brilliant light which indicates the presence of God. We read of this in Exodus, where the glory of God went with His people out of Egypt shown in the cloud which led them by day and the pillar of fire which led them by night. In Luke 2:9 where the angel appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ the glory of the Lord seems to be a brilliant light, “…and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” The glory of Christ was also seen by His disciples during His transfiguration which we read of in Matt. 17:1-8 as well as in the other gospels.
Glory is often thought of as beauty when speaking of God’s creation, as is evident throughout the Psalms, especially Psalm 19:1 where we read: ‘‘The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” Psalm 89:17 speaks of glory in terms of strength and in I Chronicles 29:11 we read of glory with relation to the greatness and power of God.
Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians (chapter 2:20), speaks of God as our “glory and joy”. In I Peter 1:8 we are told to rejoice in Christ with joy and full of glory. This is the type of glory with which we are to give glory to God. A glory full of joyful praise, honor, and thanksgiving to God. Creation does this by reflecting God’s beauty and power, but it is man’s duty to reflect God’s glory in whatever he does.
In conclusion let us look at Revelation 4:11 where we read one of the most beautiful passages in all of Scripture concerning the glory of God. It is in this chapter that the four and twenty elders fall down and worship God saying, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” As we read on into chapter five we find that the creatures also, in both heaven and earth, worship God in the same manner. It is evident here that the purpose of all things is the glory of God. All the world, all its powers, and beauty exist for the sole purpose of reflecting the glory and majesty of God its creator. Man however glorifies God in a different way than brute creation. Brute creation gives glory to God by silently reflecting God’s glory and power. Man however must stand within this creation, and knowing that it was created by God, give praise and honor to God who hath created him also. Yes, it is man’s duty to glorify God by praising Him and honoring Him, praying that he also may someday be in glory before God.