To Give Glory

I'm in a Bible study and we're doing an 8 week study on God's Glory. It's quite amazing and really has reoriented my thinking and perspective of life. I at times joke that I'm a Calvinist or "reformed" though most don't even know what those terms mean. I perhaps don't know the full breadth of what it entails to be a Calvinist or "reformed" but I do know that I think it's incredibly Biblical to believe that God is sovereign and that we were created to give Him glory. Everything was created to give Him glory.

I know that Christ loves us and have read many books about how we are worth so much to Him and some writings seem to paint a picture of God being all about us. Concerned mostly with us and our happiness. I do believe He's a good and loving God and I do believe He wants to be known by us and to know us. He is love. But to me, it makes more sense that He is more concerned about His glory than me.

I know; it's a strange concept to think about..... but if you keep thinking about it it makes sense! It doesn't negate His love; but it does make me realize that through His love, He is the best thing in life. And I can choose to also strive for the Best thing: Him... and all things are for His glory. That gives me much comfort. He is in control and even though I don't understand, His glory will be shown. It may not be my happiness, unless I choose that my happiness is finding joy in His glory.

A change of perspective.

Please feel free to disagree, challenge me on this. I'm still thinking it through but I have embraced it because it makes sense, I already have a "reformed" bent to me and because I do enjoy the writings and teachings of John Piper. I don't agree with 100% but I do greatly respect him.


"And all things were created for him. All that came into being exists for Christ—that is, it exists to display the greatness of Christ.

Nothing—nothing!—in the universe exists for its own sake.
Everything from the bottom of the oceans
to the top of the mountains,
from smallest particle
to the biggest star,
from the most boring school subject
to the most fascinating science,
from the ugliest cockroach
to the most beautiful human,
from the greatest saint
to the most wicked genocidal dictator
—everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known—including you, and the person you have the hardest time liking."

- John Piper