Giving Jesus the glory: It’s more than a prayer | Faith

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1 Peter 5:11
To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

This is the heart-felt desire of every Christian…
How can I as a believer, use my life, my gifts, my talents, and resources to give Christ glory, both now and forever?
Let’s begin by seeing what it is that the Scriptures are telling us. Looking at the word, Doxa, which means glory, we notice it is synonymous with splendor, brightness and preeminence. When a Christian’s life is portraying Christ as preeminent and pointing other’s attention in His direction, then that Christian is giving Christ “glory” with his or her life.
While it can simply be “said” that one is giving Christ the glory, the Scriptures go on to identify conclusively those who are and those who are not.
The Bible says that Christ is to have the glory … and the dominion. He is not requesting one or the other, but both are equally His and He deserves for every Christian to live their life for His glory by yielding and surrendering to Jesus Christ the “dominion” over their life as well. Christ will not receive the glory if He doesn’t also have the dominion.
By surrendering the dominion of your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you yield to Him, and thus He gets glory from your life.
The word “dominion” is the word Kratos, dominion: power, strength, might. This is the power and right of who gets to decide. If one is living a life that is surrendered to the authority of Jesus Christ, yielding to Him as the power and might of their life, they are acknowledging Christ’s dominion. He is Lord and deserves to be respected as the power and authority over every one of our lives.
However, it is from those who willingly live a life of surrender that Jesus receives glory and dominion.
Jesus is Lord, but He has prodigals who are unwilling to shake off the distractions and the attractions that this world keeps offering. They are unwilling to “do without” the temporary pleasures they have found in the time-consuming activities of this fallen world! They keep trying (and they will tell you how hard they are trying) to live their lives to please God, but until you surrender the dominion of your life to Christ, you will keep struggling in your own strength, which is only weakness!
While there are many things that are arguably not a sin, they are too often in the way of Christ’s plan for your life and the choice must be made … Christ or “this”. Whatever “it” is will certainly pale in its glamor and seeming relevance and value when you stand before Him on the Day of Judgment.
If you and I want our lives to bring Him glory, then we must continually surrender the dominion of our daily life to the Lord Jesus Christ There’s more to it than just a simple prayer, but that is where it will start. Talk to the Lord and tell Him that you need Him, and right now you are surrendering the power and dominion of your life to Him. Now, let Him get all the glory from your life.
Jesus loves you and He did something about it! Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again from the dead to offer to me and you the opportunity to become children of God and be forgiven of all our sins.
Will you put your faith in Jesus alone to be your Saviour and Lord? Let me know if you have trusted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour.
Leave a comment below.
God Bless!
See you in church!

(Pastor Jones can be reached by email pastor@faithbaptistchurch.us. Follow him on Twitter @PastorTonyJones or visit an upcoming service at Faith Baptist Church … “The Church on the Hill.”)