GALATIANS 1:5

“to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.”

Okay, be honest. Who doesn’t like a little glory? You know, that recognition and tribute you get from achieving something great. I always wanted that before coming to Jesus. In high school, I thought I could achieve it by excelling in sports. Even after becoming a Christian, I secretly wanted it for excelling in (wait for it….) ministry. That’s right! I was a closet glory seeker.

Today’s verse plainly tells us that the glory belongs to Jesus. Paul started right off talking about the One who gave him life, the One who rescued him. Now, he is pointing to Him and saying, “to whom be the glory forevermore.” Paul did not want any glory. He had seen how the Pharisees and Sadducees craved attention and glory. He wanted nothing to do with that. Instead, everything he did was to bring Jesus glory.

APPLICATION

Are you a glory seeker or do you point to Jesus? It’s easy to get caught up in the praise and adoration, even in ministry, and begin to crave that glory. Oh, the devil loves that. He will whisper in your ear that you are worthy of it. Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels; they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” I love that verse because it gives us such a great picture.

So, what does it mean to give Jesus glory? To begin with we must start by humbling ourselves. We must give all credit to the One who gave us any abilities to do anything. We live in a perpetual attitude of reverence for our Lord. Ellicott’s Commentary says this about this verse, “In the insertion of this brief doxology the mind of the Apostle obeys an involuntary impulse of reverential awe.”

The next time you do something that brings you praise, simply point to Jesus. He is the One who is worthy of all the praise, honor and glory. We bow before Him. We praise His holy name. We magnify Him above all others. That’s giving Him glory. To quote an old praise song – “Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing. Power and majesty praise to the King.”

We give You all the praise. We glorify Your name, King Jesus.