glorifying God

"Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."

I had always thought of "glorifying God" as (essentially) "being good such that people would see and somehow God would get glory." However that was supposed to work. But He has been showing me that to glorify God is essentially, to magnify God, the way a telescope magnifies a star: it makes its innate glory more visible to my sight. To glorify God is to be a signpost to Him; to show others His glory, His goodness, His greatness. I can't add to the glory He has, as though my "being good" contributed anything to Him. But He can help me to point out His wonderful goodness to others.

Therefore I can be more patient with my children, because I want them to see in me, what He is like. I want to point them to His goodness by saying through my actions, "this is how God is patient with people."

It gives a Godward perspective on all of life. The main point of my day turns from "how much can I accomplish on my list?" to "how can I point others to see the greatness of my God?"

It means love for my children is more important than efficient blueberry picking, because I want them to know that God is a loving Father, and for better or for worse, I'm one of their models of what a parent is. It makes me want to be consistent in discipline, and more merciful with their failings, because I want to be the kind of parent to them that God is to me.

It frees me from the bondage of relating to God through the law, since the point of life is no longer to "be good". And in God's paradoxical ways, freedom from the law results in obeying it from the heart, not out of fear or legalistic obligation, but as an almost unconscious fruit of wanting to show others the goodness of God. (Instead of "I've got to be patient!" it becomes patience that simply flows from wanting my children to see God in me - to say by my actions, "do you know how good God is? He is greater than all my frustration and all these little trials!")

I never really understood how Paul could say "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2Cor.12:10). I mean, of course God would help me when hardships came, but to be content with all those things?? But now I see: for when my heart's desire is to magnify my God to others, to bring into clearer focus who He is so that others may see Him, then I am content if the best way to do that is through trial, weakness, and pain. For in those circumstances, God's grace being my strength in weakness will show others that He is greater than those things, and that He is more precious to me than ease and good times.

Now I understand why John Piper says "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." For when I most delight in my God (enjoy Him), then I most want others to see how wonderful He is too, and so I desire to magnify Him by my life and words.

O that this truth would remain clear to me! That I might live it every moment! For truly it transforms all my life.