When you’re about to do something, but you’re not sure if you really should, ask yourself this question: ‘Will doing this glorify God?’ If you follow that rule and make it a habit in your daily life, you won’t stray very far off God’s path. Let’s look at this rule in action: we have free will, so we can spend our time however we like. Some of that time will be spent studying or working, and (hopefully) we’ll be devoting some to prayer, reading the Bible, and building a relationship with God. But we get to choose what to do with the rest. For example, should we give a couple of hours to help an elderly neighbour who we know is struggling with their garden, or spend the weekend watching films? The first option shares God’s love, while the second might lead people to assume we’re lazy or selfish. There’s nothing wrong with taking time for ourselves, but we must be careful that we’re not always choosing the easy, self-indulgent option. Sometimes, instead of asking, ‘What do I want to do?’, we need to ask, ‘Will it bring glory to God? Will He be pleased?’ As redeemed children of God, we’re different from the world. Jesus said we are in the world, but not of it. That means we live by a different set of rules – scriptural ones. Other people might not understand our decisions, and might even put pressure on us or turn away from us if they think we’re being over-cautious or too serious about life. In those situations, we need to go back to the question, ‘Will this glorify God? Will He be pleased?’ Pleasing God isn’t easy. It never has been. And the Bible doesn’t say it will be. But if we want to live with joy, self-respect, confidence, and integrity, we have to choose the right path. And that’s the path which always brings glory to God.
