"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16
I was thinking about this verse today, and usually I look at it just as an admonition to set a good example for people, but today I saw it a little bit differently. The "glorify your father in heaven" is a huge part of it, and inherent in the task. This *isn't* just telling us to set a good example. It is telling us to do good in God's name, being certain that the credit goes to him.
That seems like a very different task than the one that I have always associated this verse with... it is still doing good, but to do it in a way that glorifies God and not ourselves changes the whole thing around in my mind, bumping humility up to the top, and also making sure that we aren't doing anything that would be remotely questionable because we are not just living for ourselves, but representing the Lord.
Today, let's think about that example that we are setting out in the world, and make sure that our actions are encouraging people to glorify God. :)
Matthew 5:16
I was thinking about this verse today, and usually I look at it just as an admonition to set a good example for people, but today I saw it a little bit differently. The "glorify your father in heaven" is a huge part of it, and inherent in the task. This *isn't* just telling us to set a good example. It is telling us to do good in God's name, being certain that the credit goes to him.
That seems like a very different task than the one that I have always associated this verse with... it is still doing good, but to do it in a way that glorifies God and not ourselves changes the whole thing around in my mind, bumping humility up to the top, and also making sure that we aren't doing anything that would be remotely questionable because we are not just living for ourselves, but representing the Lord.
Today, let's think about that example that we are setting out in the world, and make sure that our actions are encouraging people to glorify God. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment