Worship - November 2019
Church Family,
I hope this Fall season finds you well. We are entering into exciting times as a church family as we get closer to the holiday season. This month, I want to share a familiar verse that has been on my heart. 1st Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I’ve recently been asking myself the question, “Am I giving God glory in everything I do? Am I giving Him glory for the good things in my life? Am I giving God glory in the hard times of my life?” And as I thought about it, I didn’t like my answer. I found that I wasn’t giving God the glory he deserves for how He is working in my life. I tend to think selfishly, “I did this! Look at me!” I end up glorifying myself. This is backwards way of thinking.
This past month, Annaclaire and I were able to take a trip to California to visit Yosemite National Park. It was breathtaking experience. The things we were able to see, the things we were able to do, it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. One day, we hiked up to the summit of this particularly big mountain. It was called “Sentinal Dome.” This summit was about 11,000 feet in elevation, and it was a moment we truly felt like we were on top of the world. It’s a funny thing, to be in the midst of something so big. Two people don’t stand at the top of the mountain and argue about who is taller. We looked around. We saw God. We saw what He created. Every mountaintop, every valley, every river was His, and made by Him. And every mountain was doing exactly what it was created to do – point to the glory of God.
How you are glorifying God in your life? Sometimes, it’s hard to realize that we aren’t giving God the glory He deserves. For me, it took a hike going up 11,000 feet in elevation to realize how small I truly am. I pray that we all don’t need to have such a dramatic reminder. I challenge us all to look around, every day. The greatness of God is there. The goodness of God is there. And when you see His greatness and His goodness, you will give Him glory. Lean into His presence, there’s not much quite like it. I’ll see you on Sunday.
In Christ,
Jared