And they were glorifying God because of me.
Galatians 1:24
What a wonderful life outcome! People were glorifying God because of Paul.1
Not so with these:
- Diotrephes, a leader in the church, “loved to put himself first.”2
- Others were proclaiming Christ, but were motivated by selfish ambition.3
- Still others wanted to impress people by external matters.4
They took little thought for God’s glory. Only their own.
You can tell a lot about something by who gets the credit. If people are glorifying God, it’s probably the real thing (e.g., Luke 17:15; Acts 4:21). Conversely, if people are wowed by the man or woman… Run! (Acts 12:23)
Things can devolve quickly when the focus is not on God. Remember King David when he started thinking it was all about him? He succumbed to grievous temptation, and in so doing he “gave occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme.” 5 The exact opposite of bringing Him glory. How frightening to realize we could also dishonor Him to that extent.
Friends, let’s live in such a way that people glorify God because of us!
1 Previously, Paul had been viciously persecuting those following Christ; now he was publicly declaring the faith he had once tried to destroy. “And they were glorifying God because of me” (Gal 1:24).
2 3 John 9
3 Philippians 1:17
4 Galatians 6:12
5 David had committed adultery, then tried to cover it up with murder. The prophet said his actions had “given occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme” (2 Sam 12:14).