We have been honored by God through the calling He has given us, and in this, we have been glorified by Him, not with the ultimate glory to come, but glorified nonetheless. Of all the people on the face of the earth, we are the most blessed, having been given understanding in a time of darkness. Our responsibility is to respond to all that has been bestowed upon us, recognizing the tremendous gifts from God and the purpose He has for us. God desires that we glorify Him, which means to honor, exalt, and worship Him, to give great praise and to laud His name. To glorify Him is to distinguish, honor, and attribute to Him magnificence and splendor, to desire to be like Him. We are called to adopt His very nature, to become just like Him, for He is our right example to follow. Unlike the fleeting admiration we give to temporal figures, no one possesses the goodness, love, mercy, and righteousness that God does. When we glorify Him, we must have the right image of who He is and what He does, as our Creator, Provider, Healer, and Shepherd, among many other names that reveal His relationship with us. Our response to His calling should be to put forth great effort to please Him by making changes in our lives. Glorifying God must come from the heart, with sincere obedience to His instruction, not merely through words or outward appearances. If we do not obey Him, we are not glorifying Him. Persevering in His laws shows faith, and that faith produces righteous works, which in turn glorify Him. God expects us to be doers of His word, to persist in overcoming, and to humble ourselves in obedience to His guidance. Individually, we glorify God by being aware of all He has done, offering praise and thankfulness for His gifts. We do this through daily prayer, study, meditation on His word, fasting to draw close to Him, and diligent obedience to His laws. We glorify Him by overcoming our flaws, by showing deep concern for our families and the greater family of the church, and by living in a way that reflects His nature. Simple acts of honesty in business, kindness, and concern for others—such as supporting the fatherless and widows or serving in small ways—also glorify Him. The more effort we put into glorifying God, the less the world will pull us away from our calling. As a corporate body, God expects those in charge to feed and care for the flock with honesty, love, and concern, equipping the saints and preparing them for His Son. Any organization or individual that responds rightly to what has been given will share a marvelous future with Jesus Christ. We are called to glorify Him individually, not just collectively, by putting our back into this calling, overcoming, changing, and honoring Him in all we do.

Glorifying God is not merely about understanding His glory; it is a call to action, a constant and consuming task for His elect. Our lives must be devoted to this purpose, reflecting how highly we esteem Him through our efforts. To glorify Him means to value Him highly, to exalt, magnify, honor, praise, extol, and celebrate Him, ascribing honor and preeminence by our actions, making Him look and sound good in all we do. We owe Him our praise, honor, worship, and very lives because He has saved us. As our Redeemer, He has delivered us from futility, sin, and certain death. He reached into our lives, washed us clean, set us apart, and justified us by imputing the righteousness of Jesus Christ to us. Since we are His—body, soul, and spirit—bought with the price of His blood, the only right response is to glorify Him fully in our body and spirit, which are His. Failing to do so repudiates the relationship He has established with us. Our mission as a royal priesthood and holy nation is to glorify Him, proclaiming the praises of Him who called us out of darkness. We can glorify Him in several ways: by praising Him sincerely and thoughtfully for who He is, His works, character, revelation, and blessings; by recognizing and acknowledging His sovereignty in prayer, understanding our place under Him; by submitting to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master, following and obeying Him in action and humility; by doing good works that lead others to glorify Him, expressing His truth in service and generosity; by growing in His holy, righteous character, reflecting His glory and revealing the progress of His creation in us; by being united as brethren, overcoming differences to work together in Christ, ensuring His name is not blasphemed; by participating in His work, doing our share as His tools and agents in His plan; by suffering with steadfast perseverance and faithfulness, even under persecution; and by a faithful death, glorifying Him as the final act of a finished product in His purpose. Ultimately, everything we do—every thought, word, and action—should be done with the intent to bring glory to Him. Our lives should be walking, talking billboards reflecting His glory for all to see and hear, and through this, He is glorified.

How can a man glorify the great and awesome Creator God? What gets His attention is obedience, living in the manner revealed through His Word. Israel failed to live righteously according to His commands, and since their witness was unrighteous, God was not being glorified. Thus, He removed His glory from the Temple as a sign of His displeasure. God expects us, as His people, to reflect His glory in our attitudes and actions as an example of righteousness to others. Glorifying God means to honor, magnify, and praise Him through our body and spirit, which are expressed in action and attitude. Christ reveals that by bearing much fruit, we glorify His Father and show ourselves to be His disciples. If our attitudes and actions reflect the fruit of the Spirit, we will be glorifying God in our lives. The fruit of righteousness grows in peace and produces more peace, while its lack results in violence, as seen in the history of ancient Israel. In producing the fruit of righteousness in an atmosphere of peace, we let God's glory shine through us and make an acceptable witness of Him before others. Violent and corrupt Israel did not represent and glorify God to the Gentile nations with the fruit of righteousness, so He removed His glory from the Temple in Jerusalem. But when Israel turns back to Him and produces the fruit of righteousness in peace, His glory will again brilliantly shine. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.