Ministry, as simple and mundane as it may be, is most important to God.

Readership: All
Theme: Glory
Author’s Note: This essay was written by Red Pill Apostle on 2023/3/6.  Coauthored with Jack.
Length: 900 words
Reading Time: 4.5 minutes

Hoary Glory

One observation I have on the topic of glory is that I think the very word, glory, tends to make human minds wander to the grandiose.  In reality, I think we as humans glorify God in the simple and mundane more than we might think, as these are just as much created by God and subject to his sovereignty as the seemingly big ticket events.  Since the majority of our lives are spent on the simple and mundane, and if the simple and mundane truly glorifies the Lord, then perhaps this is just as God intended. The trouble with this view is in thinking that glorifying the Lord through the simple and mundane is boring and thankless and thus losing motivation.

Another observation Jack had is that glorifying God is like practicing for a stage play. Long days and months go into the practice and preparation, all for a 2 hour performance. WhiteGuy1’s example of the NBA basketball star giving credit to God matches this view. Others see it as a grandiose accomplishment, and it is. But at some point, that has to be both challenging and mundane. That’s just how life goes.

So to sum up, there are two contrasting impressions about glorifying God that are unproductive and wrong-headed simply because they reframe our existential purpose of glorifying God as a vexing task.

  1. Glorifying God is grandiose and esoteric, and therefore difficult.
  2. Glorifying God is boring and tedious, and therefore taxing.

Carrying either or both of these viewpoints is an indulgence of the flesh, a curse if you will. Are you knowingly and intentionally carrying this attitude? Congratulations! You played yourself!

img-1783681600-6a50d24075a8a1.61986066.jpg

The Glory of Obedience

Matthew 25:40-45 gives us a clue to God’s views on the matter.  This is the passage where God tells us that what we’ve done for the least of these people we have done for Him.

There is certainly an element of obedience in this passage, as we are instructed by God for how to treat others.  Upon examining obedience to God more closely, it is certainly a form of glorifying God and might be the foundation upon which rests all of our purpose of glorifying God.  Thinking about this more as I’m typing, I am certain of it.  To disobey is to dishonor, as the very act of disobedience is to put oneself above the One giving the command.  It’s rather the opposite of giving glory to Him.

So then, we bring glory to God through obedience and obedience happens in all the small, quiet moments of life in much greater number than the few big memorable events.  In fact, the daily grind is necessary in order to make those big events happen.

We use our abilities, gifts, intellect, skills, and material possessions to further the Kingdom because we know that all these blessings are on loan from the Father, given to us to use for His purposes.  Sometimes the use is for the extraordinary, but most of the time for the seemingly ordinary aspects of life.   It helps to keep in mind that everything we have is from God and that without his provision we’d have nothing.  This is why claiming that blessings are of one’s own doing, aside from the very idea being false, is a slap in the face to God.

img-1783683099-6a50d81b63daa9.15197998.jpgThe price of glory. If he said he fell off his bike (or whatever) on purpose in order to win the costume contest, he would be derided as a crazy idiot. God is better glorified if he said falling off his bike was an act of God, or if he simply kept his mouth shut.

The Glory of Purpose

Also in this passage, the focus is not on whether it is enjoyable, or profitable, or efficient, or even beneficial for either ourselves or the recipient.  No, these concerns come from our own subjective human viewpoint which has a strong aversion to expense, inconvenience, and any kind of suffering.  Remember brothers, there’s a special accommodation in ħә11 just for wimps!

God has made us His trustees over our own personal domain of authority and influence.  So instead of putting our own pleasures first, the focus is on ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of others so that the Kingdom of God may take root, grow, and expand.  This is what glorifies God. 

This is not Moses hiding his face from the Israelites because his countenance was reflecting God’s glory.  No, it is the long slog through life, acting in kindness when kindness is not a given, and patiently clinging to a strand of hope.  Think Mother Teresa instead of the Pope.

This is not to say that glorifying God is always equivalent to or synonymous with brutal suffering.  As Jack wrote in this month’s introductory post, glorifying God also involves effervescent joy, especially when we are blessed to see our family members, friends, and loved ones grow in Christian love, faith, and spiritual maturity.  Self-sacrifice is merely a small but essential part — but it can be a stumbling block in fulfilling our purpose if we wish to avoid it at all costs.

img-1783683101-6a50d81d166076.07743847.jpgIntended as a thought provoking satire.

Epilogue

In summary, glorifying God is giving the gift of ourselves to others, and that involves obedience, purpose, and suffering.  Put crassly, CH style, we are God’s gift to them!  It might come across as arrogant to say so, but it’s not a bad attitude to have.  However, buried underneath this ostensibly proud outlook is a well-owned humility and that onerous and opprobrious state of inconvenience and suffering.  If we are not sufficiently boned up on prayer and scripture, and mature enough to maintain our own hope and joy in the Lord, then we’re prone to backsliding into the default state of basic awareness — having a negative view of our lot in life.

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