Why Did God Make You? What Is God's Glory?

Jared: Welcome to Press Pause, the under 10-minute family worship podcast. I’m your host Jared and I’m with my friends Kevin, and Trey. This podcast is designed to help you—dads, moms, grandparents, and guardians—share big truths about Jesus with your kids. Just listen along with your family and keep your finger near your device so that you’re ready to press pause and talk about this week’s big truth with your kids.

I’ve got a great kickoff question for us this week. What’s something you’ve seen in the world that demonstrates God’s glory to you - something you saw, that made God’s goodness and greatness clear to you?

Kevin, can you tell us our questions for this week?

Kevin: You bet. This week we’re learning about God’s glory, and we’re going to tackle two questions that go together. Let’s start with this first question, Why did God make you? We answer that question like this, God made us to enjoy Him, and show His glory to others. Then, our second question, What is God’s glory? God’s glory is His goodness and greatness shining out to the world.

Let’s repeat those questions together. Why did God make you? EVERYBODY - God made us to enjoy Him, and show His glory to others. What is God’s glory? EVERYBODY - God’s glory is His goodness and greatness shining out to the world.

Jared: Wow, these questions show us a lot about God’s glory. Where do we see those truths show up in the Bible, Kevin?

Kevin: We see God’s glory all through the Scriptures, but let me point you to a couple of highlights that align with this week’s questions. I Corinthians 10:31 tells believers, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” So we can show God’s glory to others by the way we live every part of our life - eating, drinking, playing, watching movies, talking, etc. Then Habakkuk 2:14 tells us that, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Press pause and take a few moments to read through these two passages with your family (I Corinthians 10:31 and Habakkuk 2:14). What are some ways you can show others around you God’s glory in the things you do normally every day?

Jared: Welcome back! God’s glory is a huge deal, and God himself tells us in Isaiah 48:11 that he will not share his glory with anyone:

“For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.”

Trey, can you help us understand why God’s glory matters so much, and how it affects the way we live?

Trey: You know Jared, God’s glory is a tricky thing. The Bible doesn’t give us a proper definition of God’s glory anywhere (wouldn’t that be nice!), but instead shows us time and time again examples of God’s glory. We see God’s glory in the way he creates, how God speaks about himself, demonstrates his power, and how he loves and cares for his people. God’s glory isn’t another of his characteristics (like his goodness, holiness, strength, or beauty), but instead, it’s every part of God’s goodness and perfection shining out for the world to see.

I’ve got good news! God knows what he’s doing, and he’s wired us to long for and seek glorious things. We’re drawn toward God’s glory when we read in the Bible about God miraculously protecting his people as they crossed the Red Sea. We’re also drawn to God when we wake up to six inches of beautiful, fluffy snow to play in. We can recognize God’s creative hand behind the snow, and we’re in awe of him. We experience God’s glory when we taste an incredible stuffed crust pizza. Do you realize that God created our tiny taste buds and the laws of science that help that crust to get perfectly crispy? Stuffed crust is just one of the small things that put God’s glory on display!

Kevin: Stuffed crust pizza definitely sounds like good news!

Trey: Unfortunately, there’s bad news too. When Adam and Eve fell, sin came into the world. As a result of sin, we now chase after our own fame and glory instead of God’s glory. We put ourselves at the center of our world instead of God. Instead of being concerned with God’s glory and showing off his glory to the world around us, we get caught up with displaying our own glory. We’re busy making sure everyone sees how awesome, skilled, and beautiful we are. Our lives can be all about how many points we scored, how awesome our outfit looks, or how great our art project looks. Remember what God told us about his glory from our earlier passage in Isaiah? That’s right, God said, “I will not yield (or give up) my glory to another.”

So, where does that leave us? It leaves us in need of someone who can save us from our sin, and turn our own craving for glory back toward our glorious God. We can’t fix this problem ourselves, no matter how hard we try. We must turn to Jesus, God’s own Son, and trust in his life, death, and resurrection so that our sins might be forgiven. Only then can we look away from ourselves and our own pursuit of selfish glory, and instead turn back to God and see his glory in full.

Once our hearts are turned toward Jesus, God’s glory becomes easier and easier to see. We can appreciate the beauty his hands have made and offer thanks that we get to enjoy it. We see God at work in our lives as we walk through times of joy and suffering, and we can thank Him for His presence with us. Best of all, when we experience God’s glory, we can share that joy and excitement with everyone around us and invite them to experience it as well. God’s glory is meant to be shared, and God calls us to do the work of inviting others to experience God’s glory with us.

Press Pause and talk through some of these questions with your family. Where are you seeking glory for yourself (sports, school, or somewhere else)? Share a time when you’ve enjoyed God—worshipping at church, outside enjoying his creation, spending time reading the Bible or praying, etc. Make sure to make mom and dad answer too.

Jared: So what about you Kevin? What’s a time in your usual week where you find yourself enjoying God most?

Kevin: [Answers question then prays] God thank you for showing us your glory in the Scriptures and in our lives. Help us to turn our hearts away from ourselves and toward you. Help us to see your glory in our lives each day. Amen.

Advertisement or Sponsorship: Press Pause is brought to you in part by the Love Thy Neighborhood podcast: exploring today’s cultural moments through true stories of social action and Christian faith. Check out the show that Christianity Today called “amazing and authentic” by searching for Love Thy Neighborhood on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or at lovethyneighborhood.org.

Trey: Thanks again for listening to Press Pause, the under 10-minute family worship podcast. Be sure to subscribe to Press Pause in your favorite podcasting app and leave us a rating or review. Also be sure to follow Gospel-Centered Family on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Join us next week for more big truths about Jesus for your whole family.