But He Who Glories, Let Him Glory In the Lord
Lisa Cooke

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, completed in 1647, states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” To those who love God, this would seem to be a no-brainer. Our flesh, however, seems to have a gravitational pull toward self-aggrandizement, and if unchecked, will tend to seek the admiration of others. Ironically, the root of this desire for fame and social prestige is often insecurity or low self-worth.

The Bible guides us away from the trap of self-promotion by teaching us that God alone is worthy of our exaltation. Jeremiah 9:23 is a direct exhortation from God Himself through the prophet Jeremiah concerning this very subject.

Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.

Throughout the Bible God’s character and His mercy toward mankind is revealed so that we can know Him, and to some extent, understand Him. We learn His ways through the great many interactions He has had with us. Jesus is our greatest example of who the Father is and He told Philip, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). So although we may yet “see through a glass darkly” and “know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12), we still know enough about God to fill our hearts and our mouths with praise and glory to God.

Paul paraphrases Jeremiah’s prophecy when he says in 2 Corinthians 10:17, “But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” He goes on to say in verse 18, “For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” Our job is not to commend ourselves; we leave that to the Lord. Our focus is to glorify God throughout the journey of our days and live lives that reflect our desire to exalt Him. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

To glory in the Lord is to extol His known virtues and His personally experienced mercies and lovingkindnesses. We talk about who He has been to us and what He has done for us, giving the world an opportunity to also know Him. How can they hear without a preacher? Our glorying in our God can bring about a knowledge of Him that may result in someone deciding to follow the Lord.

The old fashioned testimony services in churches gave people an opportunity to glorify God as they would relate stories of how the Lord saved them, healed them, how He moved on their behalf. Hope and faith would be stirred in the listeners and God was honored in the midst of His people. Some churches today have a testimony category on their websites—a modern application of the same principle of sharing testimonies.

Our son Andrew and I wrote an article for our website a couple of years ago about his journey through addiction and rebellion, how God redeemed and restored him to a vibrant relationship with Himself. This article got over 2000 shares! Technology affords us the opportunity to broadcast the glory of God in great measure as we share what God has done in our lives.

Our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Let us be very free to tell the world how great our God is so that they may also glorify God and enjoy Him forever.