How often do we glorify God in our and with our lives? Daniel is one biblical example of someone who never hesitated to glorify God, whether by his actions or by his own speech to God.
Joseph had a great dream. God had shown him how he was going to become more honorable than all his brethren. It was a great success and he was undoubtedly and disturbingly loud about it. In all of his boasting, we could see that he made the mistake of not ascribing the glory to God. But for God’s mercy, his life would have been terminated. (Gen. 37)
With great achievements and multiple successes, it is easy for a person to begin to ascribe glory to himself. It’s easy to say “Yeah, I did that” but it’s also very dangerous because it sets us along the path of pride. What learning to glorify God does for you is that it shifts your mind’s focus from you to God. Your mind acknowledges how it is God who has allowed such greatness–and the possibility of it–to be yours.
What are some ways we can glorify God?
Like Daniel, we can glorify God by putting Him at the forefront of all of our success. When Daniel was brought before King Nebuchadnezzar to interpret his dream, the first thing Daniel said was what we can translate to the scripture “Not by might, not by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord” (Zech. 4:6). Daniel immediately told the king that what he had asked cannot be given to him by any man on earth but there is a God in heaven who could reveal secrets (Dan. 2: 27-28). This was Daniel removing any form of glory from himself and returning it all to God. He glorified God from the onset. When he finished speaking, even the pagan king began glorifying God.
By putting God at the forefront of his success, Daniel brought glory to God. (Dan. 2:46-47)
Another–and possibly the most important–way in which we glorify God is through thanksgiving. In the same scene where Daniel is tasked with deciphering what the king dreamt about and its meaning, we see how Daniel resulted to thanksgiving after God answered his prayer. Thanksgiving shows God that we recognize and honor His intervention in our affairs. It is a proclamation of His glory and splendor. In thanksgiving, we glorify God. (Dan. 2:19-23)
Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. It doesn’t matter whether they serve your God or not, if you shine as the light you have been called to be and you pair that with good works, people will glorify your God.
When a new monarchy started in Babylon, Daniel did not go to the king to tell him that he served a different God from the Babylonians. It was by the level of excellence and discipline Daniel portrayed that King Darius concluded that this guy was surely serving a different God. Later on in the chapter, we see how Darius exalted and glorified God because of Daniel. We glorify God by shining as light. (Dan. 6)
We glorify God through our faithfulness to Him. King Nebuchadnezzar was forced to glorify God yet again because of the faithfulness of the three Hebrew boys. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abenego were brought in as exiles to an unknown land. From a superficial point of view, it would appear as though God had forsaken them. But they had an understanding of the faithfulness of God. They knew that God was faithful no matter what and they also remained faithful to Him. In Daniel chapter 3 when the king ordered them to be thrown into the fire for not denying their God, they stood by their conviction till the end. Eventually, Nebuchadnezzar saw how God vindicated them and began glorifying God (Dan. 3:28).
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan. 3:17-18 KJV
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
2 Tim. 2:13 NKJV
This is not about producing just any fruit. A good Christian should produce good fruit. When you go to any tree and pluck a fruit from it and it tastes really good, you look at the tree as a good tree. But if you pluck a few fruits from another tree and they are either too sour to be eaten or rotten, you would not make the mistake of visiting that tree again. As branches of The Vine, we are to produce fruit that align with who we represent.
Producing fruit that glorifies God starts with the state of our hearts. It is the outward action of our inner condition. Whatever we internalize, we produce. If you internalize so many evil and ungodly things, surely you cannot produce fruit that glorify God. But if you meditate on the Word day in day out, night and day, you will yield much good fruits and show yourself as true disciples of Christ.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:8 NIV
In conclusion, glorifying God is a fundamental aspect of our lives as believers. Through our actions, speech, thanksgiving, faithfulness, and fruit-bearing, we can bring glory to His name. And in the end, glorifying God is not just a duty, but a privilege. It’s an opportunity to shine His light, to share His love, and to reflect His character.
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