When Anna and I sat in carpool a few weeks ago, she asked me, “Mom, how do I know that I’m glorifying God?”
As believers we want to convey Christ-likeness to the world. We want to show everyone something different about us. So we challenge ourselves to “be the light and salt of the world” and we put ourselves out there for others to see something extra-ordinary about us.
We encourage our loved ones and other believers to live that way too. Not too long ago, I wrote about glorifying God at school. You can read about it here.
So how do we know that our lives glorify God?
My response to Anna came from John 3. “Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night …”
I read the whole Nicodemus section to Anna and I gave her five things to remember:
Stay in the light. Nicodemus was in spiritual, intellectual, as well as natural darkness when he came to Jesus. Do those around you know you follow Jesus? Where are you spiritually? You believe and understand the Scriptures, but do you apply them for others to see?
Recognize Jesus is Lord over everything and only He saves. We don’t save anyone. Through Christ, we have eternal life. Nicodemus called Jesus “Rabbi,” but he never addressed Jesus as Messiah or Son of God or his Lord. How does your life address Jesus?
Remember we desperately need the Holy Spirit––every moment of every single day. We need guidance, spiritual cleansing and renewal that only God can provide by His Spirit. Instead of relying on ourselves, we need to trust His Spirit. Do you depend on yourself and others for acceptance and guidance for your life or do you depend on the Holy Spirit?
Receive God’s love and extend it to others. The incarnation and the cross resulted from God’s amazing love for all humanity. He gave us His “only begotten Son, so whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Have you truly accepted how much God loves you? Do others see God’s love in you?
God’s work is evident in your life (John 3:21). Believers who adhere to the truth, run to Jesus. They humbly acknowledge that every good work they do comes from God. Do you ever look back at difficult times and wonder, “How did I do that?” Or you say, “I know that wasn’t me, that was God!” Do you find yourself thanking God for everything in your life?
As believers—as children of God—we want others to love and come to know Jesus. We want to obey God and we want His love to shine through us so others can see God’s grace in our lives. And, so every day, as much as we can, we do our best to deny ourselves. We courageously pick up our crosses and humbly follow Him.
So, how do we know that our lives glorify God? Jesus is the only way we will know our lives glorify God.
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