So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)
“YOU NEED TO WRITE A LIST of things to do. Start with just about every positive action you can think of.”
Two friends and I had cornered Marv, our youth group leader. He seemed to have his life together, and we wanted to know his secret. He didn’t seem to struggle with “gray areas” of behavior. Instead, Marv was always doing things that let the youth in our small community see what it meant to follow Jesus. He led the way in work projects to help older people. He made it a point to talk to high schoolers who looked like they needed a friend. What we didn’t understand until that day was that he actually thought ahead to do good. He actually kept a list of things to do that would glorify God day in and day out, and followed it!
Just like Jesus-followers today, Christians in the first century had a lot of different choices regarding their behavior. So instead of overwhelming them with options, the Holy Spirit led Paul to set a standard for their motives: to do everything to honor God.
That simple piece of advice set the standard for positive behavior that still directs disciples of Jesus to this day. If our intentions are to honor God in whatever we do, He will be glorified.
List seven things to do today to glorify God; then do them.
Steve Wamberg is a husband, dad, writer, and pastor who loves his wife, kids and their spouses, preaching, teaching, music, coffee, friends, and Nebraska football.