Joel M Bradshaw

23The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”–Psalm 50

This was an angry psalm of rebuke. And God landed the plane with a little bit of hope and direction. We who study the Bible cling to those things. Here are two things that glorify God.

1. THANKSGIVING. I am currently journeying with a man who is depressed. One of my challenges to him was to do a nightly gratefulness list. To write down things he is thankful for. Rather than spending the time on his pillow wallowing in his situation and maintaining the narrative of sadness and regret, to focus on God. We who are depressed spend too much time thinking about ourselves! We need to shift our focus on God and his profound story rather than ourselves and our stories. Thanksgiving is a wonderful response to God’s faithfulness and goodness. It’s also an attitude of humility.
2. PURPOSEFUL LIVING. This is a life that intentionally seeks to please God rather than the self. Could you imagine if you actually lived this way? Much of what we do is centered on ourselves. This doesn’t mean those things don’t also glorify God, but we have to be careful. For example, first thing I do each morning is walk the dogs. This makes me look good (which is kind of self-focused), but it does serve my wife (which honors God). Many mornings, I don’t want to do it, as I would rather have my coffee and write this devotion. So it’s also a purposeful ordering of my way. Now, if I can stop the occasional grumbling in my heart about it, I would be good!

Think about your life. Are you truly grateful for God? Do you regularly thank him for his faithfulness? Do you purposely live your life to glorify God or yourself? The story we maintain and the days we live communicate much to God and others about what and who are most important to us.–JMB