Gò0dNews from the Pastor’s Desk
The Glory Of God
1
by Dr. James Rushing
Corinthians 10:31: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink,
appeared to Abraham (Genesis 17:1) and was renamed
or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
(glorified) as “the all-sufficient God”: the God Who does not
There is a tendency to become nonchalant with
the familiar. It is easy to quote familiar passages of Scripture
need me to try to accomplish His plan my way. God sent Abraham to Moriah with instructions to
without considering their meaning. I found myself looking
sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). When God provided a ram
at a familiar phrase that gave me pause—“the glory of God.”
instead, Abraham “renamed” (glorified) Him as “the God
Most believers are familiar with the phrase, but do we know
Who provides.” All throughout the Old Testament, we read
what that means?
how God was renamed (“glorified”) through circumstances
“Glory” comes from Latin, and its definition includes the word “renown.” A person of renown has widespread
in which He made Himself known. He was renamed (glorified) as the “Lord Who heals,” “the Lord, my banner,” and “the Lord, my Shepherd.” In real-life circumstances, God made Himself known in personal ways that led to a greater understanding of Who He was. John 11:4: “When Jesus heard that [Lazarus was sick], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” Lazarus’ sickness (and death) was intended to allow Jesus to be renamed. Mary and Martha had already renamed (glorified) Jesus as “the healer.” Jesus tarried and Lazarus died so that Jesus could be glorified (renamed) as “the resurrection and the Life.”
fame for a title they possess or an accomplishment they have
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye
achieved. “Renown” literally means to rename. In sports, it
do, do all to the glory of God.” In every situation of life, in
might be a person’s name followed by “world champion” or
every circumstance I face, in my struggles and successes,
a nickname given because of some incredible feat: Michael
God wants to be glorified with a new name. That deepens
“Air” Jordan, renowned for his high-flying dunks, and Karl
my relationship and faith in Him and points others to Him
“The Mailman” Malone, “Tiger” Woods, and “The Iron
as the answer to their needs.
Horse” Lou Gehrig. What does it mean to “rename” God? We’d better begin at the beginning. In the beginning, “God” created
John 11:45: “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.” Even when I do not understand why God allows a
the heavens and the earth. We are first introduced to “the
difficulty in my life, I can be confident in what He wants to
living God.”
accomplish through it. God wants to be glorified.
with His plan through Hagar and the birth of Ishmael, God
6 // March 2020
About The Author
After Abraham and Sarah felt they should “help” God Dr. James Rushing pastors Temple Baptist Church of Chattanooga. He and his wife, Lynda, have two adult children, a daughter-in-law, and one grandson.
