“Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah!” (Psalm 24:7-10)
Let me ask you a question. Who, or what, is at the center of your life? For what, or for whom, do you live and derive the greatest delight, joy and satisfaction?
For the biblical Christian, it is God. God calls us to be Theocentric. That is to say, God calls believer’s in Christ to continually have Him at the center of their lives. The primary interest then for the biblical believer in Christ is the Triune God. We are to be dominated by the idea of God.
The Westminster Larger, and Shorter, Catechism puts it this way: Q. “What is the chief of man?” A. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” The question which follows answers how we glorify God. Q. “What rule hath God give to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?” A. “The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.” We, therefore, glorify God by being obedient to His Word.
Dr. Joel Beeke says, “The universe is ruled not by chance or fate, but by the complete, sovereign rule of God. We exist for one purpose: to give Him glory. We have only duties to God, no rights. Any attempt to challenge this truth is doomed. Romans 9:20b asks, ‘Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?’ God enacts His laws for every part of our lives and demands unconditional obedience. We are called to serve Him with body and soul, in worship and daily work, every second of every day.”
God is in absolute and total control of everything which occurs in life. God’s sovereignty brings Him glory. Therefore, we are to glorify and praise Him for His sovereignty.
However, we sinful creatures seek to take control, and receive the glory, which rightfully belongs only to God. We do so in two major ways. First, by denying that God even exists and placing ourselves at the center of our existence. We become our own gods. Second, while not denying God’s existence, we deny His authority to save and rule us according to the good pleasure of His will. Many would rather save and rule their own lives by the good pleasure of their own will.
One pastor writes, “The achievements of modern life – medicinal, technological, and otherwise – have given us an ever-increasing sense of control. Actually, more than a sense. We really do enjoy more control over more aspects of life than ever before in history. We’re so accustomed to a convenient, custom-designed, there’s-an-app-for-that quality of life that we’re more shocked when things are hard than when they’re easy. Addicted to what we can control, we extend the borders of our kingdom into realms we can’t control. We try to control circumstances, but trials rudely show up uninvited. We try to control people, but they don’t stick to our wonderful plan for their lives. We try to control our future, but He who sits in the heavens always seems to laugh (Psalm 2:4).”
God calls us to live Corem Deo, which is to view all of life before the face of God. We are to see God in nature, in history and in His grace. In everything we are to see God in His mighty power, to feel His mighty power and to sense His mighty purpose. We are to see God behind all the things which happen to us and to others and understand that He is working out His will. We are to come to God in submissive and humble prayer depending upon His grace alone and rejecting the notion that we had anything to do with His complete work of salvation.
When we begin to live in such a way, we begin to get a taste of what it means to glorify God. How may you glorify God today?
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 