April 14 2026

Tuesday April 14

“To the Glory and Praise of God”

Philippians 1:11

Today we are continuing to look at Philippians 1:9–11. This is the prayer of the Apostle Paul for the saints there at Philippi. He concludes that prayer with these words: “to the glory and praise of God.” He prayed that they would be fruitful. He prayed that they would have a love that abounds more and more. He prays that they would do that which is excellent—that which is most important, that which brings the greatest and best out of their lives for the glory of God. Of course, he concludes with this thought, “to the glory and praise of God,” because that is the ultimate purpose of our lives.

That is why we were created—to praise and glorify the Lord. Everything we do—every decision, every action, every attitude—is meant to bring glory to God. Not glory to ourselves, not recognition from others, but glory to Him. Now let me ask you a question. When we talk about the glory of God, what comes to your mind? What do you picture?

As I study the glory of God in the Bible, I am overwhelmed with the thought that literally the entire Bible—from Genesis 1 to the last verses of Revelation—is all about the glory of God. I used to say the Bible is the story of redemption. It is, no doubt, the story of redemption—God redeeming man from his sin and restoring him to a right relationship with Himself. Yet behind all of that, and even before all of that, it is about the glory of God.

When I picture the glory of God, after studying both the Old and New Testaments, I find that the glory of God is the expressed presence of God Himself. In the Old Testament, when the glory of God came down on the tabernacle, the Shekinah glory cloud descended. It was the presence of God in the midst of His people. The glory of God rested over the cherubim—on the mercy seat, between the cherubim—in the Most Holy Place, where no one could enter except the high priest once a year. There, he would encounter the manifest presence of God.

Then we read in Psalm 8:1, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens.” And in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Oh, my friend, do you realize that all creation cries out and declares the presence and the glory of God—the One who created all things? Why? For His glory, to manifest His presence. Creation is a display of God’s handiwork.

That means when we glorify the Lord, we are magnifying His presence—we are making His presence known. As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ Himself came for that very purpose. Remember John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then verse 14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John says this “flesh” is none other than Christ—God Himself in our midst. John goes on to say: “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was the manifest glory—the very presence of God—among the people. Joseph was told by the angel in Matthew 1:23; "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Now the Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that: “our bodies are the temple of God. Therefore, we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s”. In other words, everything we do—every word we speak, every attitude we display—ought to reflect who God is. God is in our lives. God is in control of our lives. That is why the Holy Spirit was sent. If you read John chapters 14 through 16, the Holy Spirit was sent to glorify Jesus Christ and to glorify the Father in us and through us. Read Revelation chapters 4 and 5. All of creation and everyone in it one day will be declaring, “to the praise and glory and honor of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.” It is all about His glory.

My friend, this changes everything about how we live. We do not serve to be seen. We do not give to be praised. We do not live for applause. We live for an audience of One. Let me ask you today: Is your life pointing others to Jesus Christ, or is your life pointing others to you? Which of the two, my friend? I trust your life is reflecting the presence and glory of God to the people around you. A life filled with the fruit of righteousness brings glory to God, because others see God in us. That is what the world needs to see today in His people.

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!