Psalms 106

They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image. Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Awesome things by the Red Sea. Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭106:19-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We should always keep God and His glory as our first priority.  Practically, it is easiest to think of God being the center of our lives.  This means that He is a part of everything we do because we consciously seek Him and His guidance through prayer, worship, and consistent time spent in His Word.  Serving God wholeheartedly and putting Him first in our lives will lead to blessings such as increased joy and peace.  “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him” (Jeremiah 17:7).  Like the Israelites, however, we are often tempted to focus on things in this world rather than the things of God.  Sometimes we give too much of our attention to health problems, sports, money, our jobs, our kids, our happiness, or our routines and “to do” lists.  Even our feelings can distract us from God and become an idol if we let them control us.  Ask yourself this question for a quick self-analysis: “Am I bowing down to God and His Word or am I bowing down to my feelings?”  In addition, we need to be mindful of the fact that God created us for His glory, and our lives should reflect this.  Isaiah 43:7 says: “Bring all who claim Me as their God, for I have made them for My glory. It was I who created them” (NLT).  What exactly is the glory of God?  God’s glory is an accumulation of all of His attributes.  It is the unsurpassed and unparalleled beauty of His Spirit that comes from His character.  It never fades and is eternal.  God’s glory can be seen through us in things such as unselfishness, forgiveness, love, heroism, compassion, generosity, and so on.  God’s glory can also be seen in His creation, which is why we can connect so intimately with Him by appreciating and spending time in nature.  “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.  Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalms 19:1-4, NLT).  His glory can only be partially understood while we are here on Earth, but we will come to know the fullness of God when we are in His presence after our time on Earth is done.  In Heaven, His glory will not need to come through us or through nature because it will be clearly seen.  Therefore, it is our responsibility to glorify God by allowing His glory to shine through us.  We need to let Him use us to show His love for others, and to bring peace and joy into this fallen and dying world.  But we cannot fully accomplish this goal if there are any idols or distractions standing between us and God.  God’s glory is constant and limitless, but through our choices, we sometimes limit what He can do in our lives and the lives of those around us.  The Israelites exchanged God’s glory for a golden calf.  We need to make sure that we are not exchanging God’s glory for a temporary and insignificant reward or pleasure. 

If we continue to keep Him in His rightful place on our priority list, His light will shine through us and we will truly be able to show the world the glory of God.