Topic: THE GLORY AWARDS – Right From The Heart Daily Devotional by Bryant Wright Ministry 5 July 2024
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THE GLORY AWARDS
July 05, 2024
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen”
1 Timothy 1:17
Have you ever noticed how many awards shows there are?
Off the top of my head, I can think of:
The Oscars.
The Golden Globes.
The Grammys.
The Tony Awards.
The Emmys.
All of these pertain to the entertainment industry. Now, think of all the awards in other industries (business, advertising, journalism, etc.), both locally and nationally. Once we add in global awards, the list is almost beyond our comprehension.
Let me be clear. In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with giving or receiving an award. I’m simply making the point that humans love to honor and glorify ourselves. It comes naturally to us.
What doesn’t come naturally is living for the glory of God.
The sin in our hearts has turned us into “glory thieves,” as Paul Tripp says. You see, we were created for “the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12), but instead, we live for our own glory, stealing the glory that is rightfully His. Turning the spotlight on ourselves, our souls cry, “Look how amazing I am! Look at what I can do!”
But notice where the Apostle Paul aims the spotlight in today’s key verse. It’s focused right where it should be – on the King of Glory.
This verse is what’s known as a “doxology,” literally meaning ‘speak glory’ or ‘speak praise.’ Frankly, it’s one thing to read a doxology but another thing to live it. As I’ve alluded to, our world constantly encourages us to write a doxology centered around our own glory, not God’s. And more times than not, we gladly oblige.
So, what can we do?
How’s it even possible to live for the glory of God?
Let me offer a few suggestions from the passage.
- Be grateful for grace – Only one thing is powerful enough to rescue us from our obsession with glorifying ourselves: grace. Reading the preceding verses (1 Timothy 1:12-16), we notice a connection between grace and glory. Paul is so grateful for the grace of God that his heart explodes into this doxology.
If you and I want to live for His glory, we must wake up every day remembering the grace we’ve received (and still receive). As recipients of such amazing grace, how could we continue living as ‘glory thieves?’
- Remember you are not the King – If we are followers of Jesus, He is our King. As the King of Glory, His reign should influence our actions, reactions, attitudes, choices, relationships, finances, etc. There shouldn’t be an area of our lives that is ‘off-limits’ to His Lordship. Living for His glory entails a continuous, ever-increasing surrender to His authority.
- Your glory is not “eternal” or “immortal”- Life is fleeting. We’re just a ‘blip’ on the timeline of eternity. Most of the so-called ‘glorious things’ we’ve done won’t be remembered in fifty or a hundred years. I hate to break it to you, but any awards we may have won on earth will one day rot in a landfill somewhere.
In that light, doesn’t it make sense to start living for the One who is “eternal” and “immortal?” Ten thousand years from now, we’ll still marvel at His glory…and have an eternity to go.
Today, you’ll write a doxology with the way you live your life. The question is: Will it be about your glory or the King of Glory?
And if the Glory Awards were to be held, to whom would you cast your ballot?
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
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