To glorify God or men? The obvious choice

The choice between glorifying God or men is a dilemma that has existed for centuries, especially in these times of clashing cultural values. Christians are often faced with this choice, where they have to decide between being accepted by people or faithfully following God's Word. This can be a difficult choice, but ultimately it is crucial to our spiritual life. In this article, we'll discuss the importance of glorifying God above men, and the challenges this can create.

As Christians, it's vital to understand that God's Word calls us to glorify God above all else. The Bible is clear that we cannot serve two masters, because we will end up loving one and hating another. The choice is therefore to serve God before thinking about pleasing men. Jesus knows this can be difficult, but He assures us that if we follow Him faithfully, we will be blessed.

The greatest challenge facing Christians today is the stigma or ridicule they can face when they make the decision to faithfully follow God's Word. It can be difficult when one has to choose between being socially accepted or living according to God's will. In many cases, this can lead to persecution, rejection or social isolation. It's a difficult challenge to overcome, but in the end it's worth it, because the eternal reward promised to us in Christ Jesus is far greater than any temporary difficulties we may encounter.

However, that doesn't mean we can't love our neighbor. Jesus tells us that it's important to love our neighbor as ourselves, but that shouldn't be our motivation for following God. We should love and serve others, but we should also follow God's Word, even if it goes against what others think or say. We should seek to love and glorify God above all, and we should seek to spread His love towards others.

John 12:43
"For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God."

Whom do we ultimately wish to glorify? Do we wish to glorify God or men? I'm not saying that sometimes you shouldn't have both: living in a godly way doesn't mean not loving your neighbor, doing good and that people may pray to you for it, although that shouldn't be your motivation. There may be times when it's impossible to achieve both. When people ask you what you do every morning and you tell them you read the Bible, you run the risk of being the subject of ridicule. So what? When a debate breaks out about evolution and you say that God created everything, you run the risk of being taken for a fool. So what? When you say that Christ is the only way, the truth and the life, you risk being seen as a religious extremist. So what? When you read the Bible or a Christian book on the bus or train, you may be stared at strangely. What's the big deal?

What the Bible teaches is in complete opposition to what the world says. It has always been so, and I believe it will be so until the Lord returns. What you and I have to do is choose wisely whom we will turn to. Will we accept the stigma, take up the cross and follow Christ? Or will we dilute the message by wishing for human acceptance?

Mark 8:38
"For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in the midst of this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels."

Luke 12:8-9
"I tell you, whoever publicly declares himself for me, the Son of Man will also declare himself for him before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God."

Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power[a] of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek."

The world needs what you believe in. Don't let the gospel message be diluted, the treasure we have, simply to avoid the consequences that accompany rejection. Instead, take up the cross and follow our revealed Saviour.
It's true that glorifying God before men is an important choice we must make as Christians. While this may bring challenges or difficulties, we must follow God's Word faithfully and love God above all else. We should seek to do our best to spread His love to others, but we must never water down the message to please men. Let us be courageous, take up our cross, and we will ultimately glorify God.

Shalom!

Pasteur Clémentine