September 5: WHATEVER YOU DO

…saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Revelation 14:7

In every area of our lives, it is possible to glorify God. True worship from the heart affects one’s entire life. King David penned a humble prayer reflecting that only God can make a person holy. Only He can sanctify and save. David recognized the possibility of utter failure if he ever placed his trust anywhere but in the LORD; he also encouraged others to call upon Him as he prayed for himself to be teachable. Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore. (Psalm 86:11-12)

A practical help is to keep this question at the forefront: Will this honor Jesus? Would I listen to this, sing this, watch this, drink this, buy this, read this, say this, eat this, or go there if Jesus were here with me in person? The fact is: He is always with us (Matthew 28:20). We must sense His presence in every facet and activity of life. To enjoy spending time with Him is to become like Him (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Others around us might respond as they did to His disciples: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

During Old Testament times, most of God’s chosen messengers were in nearly constant apostasy. They chose to live as their heathen neighbors rather than follow the distinctively unusual lifestyle outlined for them by the LORD (see Deuteronomy 31:16; Judges 2:17; 1 Chronicles 5:25). The same is true now. Clinging to the world’s lifestyle opens the door to slow-motion molding by Satan to adopt his feelings and desires and, thus, be programmed to be lost.

Those who surrender to the principles of Jesus will be molded into His image and prepared for heaven. Following His principles requires sacrifice, but any sacrifice we are called to make is minuscule relative to gaining eternity! The God of the universe wants to adopt us as His children. Because of our fallen nature, we can’t comprehend a love so pure. Yet, we can choose to believe that, in Christ, He has given us everything!

Jesus said: “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:38

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31