…Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! (Isaiah 6:3, ESV)
Isaiah said these things because he saw his [Jesus’] glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:41-43, ESV)
Invariably, we find players discussing playing for a “bigger purpose” than themselves. In the case of his recent victory, Eric Van Rooyen was motivated to play for his college teammate battling terminal cancer.
In the post-round interview, Van Rooyen revealed his inspiration, “…there’s bigger stuff in life than golf…When you’re playing for something bigger than winning some silly trophy, it puts it into perspective.”
Playing golf for a bigger purpose than oneself is laudable; learning to live our lives for the larger purpose of God’s glory is infinitely more important and, apart from Christ, impossible.
Living a life that revolves around self and one that refuses to get our heads out of the sand by asking fundamental questions about the bigger picture is anything but commendable. Why?
The short answer is the only way to live a meaningful existence in this life, and the life to come is by aligning our lives with God’s purposes. A somewhat longer answer follows.
More than a few philosophers and poets have asked the question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” This arresting question is not reserved for ivory-tower academics—it is for everyone!
If, as Scripture reveals, the entire world was created for God’s glory, but we live as if it’s all about us, we must be prepared for chronic emptiness, ill-fated pursuits, acute despair, existential dissatisfaction, and eternal alienation.
If, on the other hand, we live in the world according to Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Darwin, Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche, then “eat, drink, and be merry; tomorrow we are merely pushing up the daisies.”
Every attempt to find personal meaning and purpose between the bookends of birth and death will end in tragedy unless we situate our lives in the “true story of the whole world.”
Sadly, discovering the world’s true story is now a bit more complicated. By all accounts, we currently inhabit a culture largely informed by functional atheists riffing off Nietzsche.
Contrary to recalcitrant atheists, Christ taught us that we live in a world governed by God and directed toward his predetermined goal—the magnification of his glory and our good.
When Web Simpson won the U.S. Open, you’ll recall a knucklehead running into the trophy presentation wearing a beanie and squawking like a bird. Come to think of it, he did resemble a chicken.
Adding to the awkwardness, watching Mike Davis, the USGA’s CEO at the time, attempt to wrestle this glory-seeker to the ground was nothing short of distracting and somewhat comedic.
In this protestor’s efforts to call attention to his personal agenda, he tarnished what should’ve been Web’s crowning moment. The trophy didn’t lose any shine, but the moment was blemished.
Ultimately, Web was honored and returned home carrying the spoils of his much-deserved victory. Winning the U.S. Open has intrinsic value regardless of how a misguided nincompoop tried to spoil it.
Unlike trophy presentations, God’s glory has intrinsic value that can never be diminished by our failure to live lives motivated to honor him.
Yet, when we live for our glory and not for the glory of God, we come off worse than this blockhead’s attempt to “steal the show” that belonged to Web.
As one author put it, “The Glory of God” is a way to say that there is an absolute [personal] reality to which all human wonder, awe, reverence, praise, honor, acclaim, and worship are pointing. We were made to find our deepest pleasure in admiring the infinitely admirable—the glory of God.”
And where do we find this glory? It is found in beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4-6, ESV).
Prayer: Jesus! Teach us to revolve around you and your glory.