GLORIFY GOD

Isaiah 26:15 tells us another way we glorify His name. “Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased nation: thou art GLORIFIED.” God is a God of increase and therefore He is always glorified by increase. This was His plan from the beginning and He hasn’t changed His plan. Even in difficult circumstances. When the children of Judah were taken captives to Babylon, God sent a message to them: “Increase, and do not diminish” (Jeremiah 29:6). But they were captives in Babylon! Surely they couldn’t keep increasing in a land of captivity? But God reminded them to continue His plan because He wanted His name glorified in Babylon too.

Jesus continues the same theme in John 15:8: “Herein is my Father GLORIFIED, that ye bear MUCH fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” God is not satisfied with little increase, but much increase. “But this is talking spiritually,” you say, breathing a sigh of relief. Yes, you’re right. God wants us to be fruitful in every area of our lives--revealing more and more of the fruit of the Spirit and having a heart to lead more and more souls to Him.

But the principle of God’s Word is always first that is which is natural, and then that which is spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46). To want to bear fruit spiritually, but not naturally is a foreign concept to God. He wants us to increase naturally and spiritually. He wants us to have natural children and spiritual children.

We do not glorify God by stopping life; that’s the devil’s strategy. We glorify God by embracing life.

Blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell

Painting: Newborn by Steve Hanks.