Joel M Bradshaw

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.–1 Corinthians 10:31

This summer my wife, kids, and I were at a Family Camp weekend up at The Woods camp. https://www.thewoodscamp.org. We were challenged to prayerfully choose a verse of the Bible and make it our family’s verse. These little banners were handed out. So I was excited about 1 Corinthians 10:31, my wife agreed, and then she with her better penmanship wrote it out. Here it is pictured hanging on the inside door of our camp cabin. It hangs over our living room mantle at home today.

This verse orients my life. It forms the answer to one of my anxiety control questions. The things I can control need to glorify God. It helps me when I am faced with two good choices. Which choice gives God the most glory? It’s a verse that cannot be taken out of context (whatever you do). This verse is the greatest of the stories I maintain in my depression. My life now seeks to glorify God.

Paul was talking about eating and drinking and the personal morality attached to food that was once sacrificed to idols. To some in his day those situations provided personal moral dilemmas and so Paul urged sensitivity even if there was freedom. And our verse today boils it down nicely.

Your life should also be oriented about this verse. I know it forms the basis of my personal prayer life. I start my day now with this prayer. Lord, help me to give you glory today with every part of my life. I think about that prayer throughout the day. I end my day with some version of this: Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to me and bringing me through this day. I know there were times when I didn’t give you glory. Please forgive me…

This is my life verse. Ironically as I strive to be less heavy (in body), in giving God glory my theological goal is to make Him more ‘heavy.’ That’s what glory means. To make God heavier or weightier in my perspective. The Greek word is doxan which is a form of doxa. If you grew up in traditional churches singing doxologies then you were proclaiming God’s glory.

Thanks for letting me share my love for this verse. It makes an appearance in every one of the times I offer Biblical counsel as a pastor. What would your life verse be?–JMB