Dear BPCWAians, Last week, we looked at how to aim toward achieving the chief end of man. The promises of God are to help us glorify God. However, what are some barriers that can affect us in achieving this chief end of man? Here are several:

Lack of trust toward God. We must remember that God makes sure promises to us because they are meant to glorify Him through us, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Cor 1:20). God has a clear purpose when He gives us promises – and His promises to us are to help us fulfill our chief end. His promises are meant to help us achieve His purposes, not our own. Sadly, while God has made us many promises, yet very often, Christians don’t live by these promises that God has made to us to help us achieve our chief end. We cannot say that we want to glorify God when we live lives that continually distrust God, and don’t live by His commandments and His promises. Abraham was a man of faith who “being not weak in faith. . . He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom 4:19-20) Whenever we excuse ourselves from following God because some things seem “too difficult to obey” or even “impossible”, then think of Abraham. He was fully qualified to give reasons to not believe God’s promises, being “about an hundred years old”, coupled with “the deadness of Sara’s womb”. Abraham heard, believed, and stood firm upon God’s promise to him. Instead of being half-hearted, we must be like Abraham, “fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Rom 4:21). Glorifying God is not an outward show, but it must first begin with an inward persuasion in our hearts about who He is. When we think that God will fail us when we live as He commands, we cannot glorify God. Because    of our own fears, we are reluctant to believe in God’s promises. Instead, we live in disobedience to God. We may even say we want to show people  God’s character and power, and that He’s Lord of our life, but when it comes to the crunch, we choose instead to compromise on our faith, or to trust in our own efforts, or trust in man, or simply give up. Also, at times when we are in dire circumstances, we may ask the church to pray. But when deliverance comes, our lips instead speak incessantly about “so and so who helped us”, instead of God getting the glory.

A wrong view of what glorifies God. We often mistakenly view what is glorious as only what the world sees as glorious. We think that only “good outcomes” glorify God. God’s promises may not necessarily mean that we will always live a rosy life without problems. Did we realise that trouble and persecution are also included in God’s promises? 2Tim 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” God also promises that as we live according to His truth in our families, it can even bring division (Matt 10:35, 36). We must keep in mind that God promises that as long as we do according to what He commands, we glorify Him. Things may not always turn out according to what we prayed for, what we desired, or what we imagined would glorify Him. If I put God first in my life, instead of spending my full energies and time upon my studies or my work, it may not get me ahead in life. Glorifying God and God’s promises do not necessarily mean having the best results, achieving a high position in life, being healthy, or being married. God’s promises are not what we want, but God’s decretive will for us. It is not only seemingly good human outcomes that glorify God. Even if obeying His commands result in us going through difficulties and situations that may not be desirable in the world’s  eyes, our submission to what God ordains in our lives and what He provides for us lifts Him up and glorifies Him.

Lack of submission to what God ordains for our life. God may even pre-plan calamities and even severe sicknesses to glorify Him as in the case of Lazarus (Joh 11:4). If it is not due to chastisement, even painful things in life are designed to help us glorify Him when we respond in submission to Him. To Peter and the world, Christ’s upcoming crucifixion was shameful and not a glorious thing (Matt 16:22). But instead, our Lord fully submitted to this shameful death, saying “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee” (Joh 17:1). Even though rejected by men in His final hour, Christ declares “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (Joh 17:4). When we submit humbly to what God ordains for us, we will accept joyfully what He ordains, and live the remaining days in submission and thanksgiving to God. If sickness or pain comes, it is our chance to glorify God (2 Cor 12:9) too. If God ordains infirmities, then according to His will, let us say “I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”. Showing God’s power in our lives glorifies God. When others see that Paul was useful for God despite his weaknesses and lackings, others will realise that the results were truly God’s work, not Paul’s. Sometimes, God would have it that way that through weaknesses, we will glorify God.

Idols in our life. In Isaiah 42:6, God says that He “will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant . . . for a light of the Gentiles”. He promises to take care of us so that we can serve Him in His covenant, to bring others to know of Him and worship Him. Isaiah 42:8 affirms, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images”. God won’t share His glory with idols, so it is important for us to know what are idols, before we can ensure that we don’t give any place to idols in our lives which will steal glory from God. Someone well described how to tell if there are idols in our lives. Idols are who or what we 1) Trust in more than God. 2) Think upon more than God. You can be at church, but still breaking this commandment in your mind! 3) Talk about more than God. Do you enjoy godly conversations or lose interest once it moves to talk about spiritual things? 4) Thirst after more than God. This is when we are only satisfied when we have that thing or person. 5) Tremble or fear more than God. Parents may fear their children not achieving the best results if they spend time on spiritual things. We may fear losing our health or possessions. 6) Treasure more than God. We are often unwilling to give up things and have our lives changed so as to please or obey God. These things are idols to us. 7) Throne of our hearts. Every choice in life must be subservient to Christ who must be supreme in our lives. The greatest idol is the idol of self. To Paul, Paul is insignificant. That’s why in 1 Cor 10:31, Paul was willing to give up eating meat even if it stumbles another. Instead, today’s cry is “why can’t I do that? After all, it’s my life and it’s not sinful.” Let us be nothing if it helps people come to know Christ. Glorifying God may require sacrifices and even my own comfort so that others may come to know Him and obey Him. I must be willing to put myself aside – and if I’m not willing to do so, then self is an idol. Glorifying God must be everything in my life, and I must even be willing to die if that glorifies God. I must be willing to change my life so that it will have only a single passion – to glorify and magnify God.

Phil 1:20-21 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Yours in our Lord’s service,

Pastor