“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people– 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”” Revelation 14:6
The highest moral act in the universe is to give God glory. Giving glory to God is a matter of morality, not only for men and angels, but for God Himself. It is right and righteous for God to show forth His glory, to be jealous for His glory, and to require every created being in His universe to render to Him the glory due. Is God then the Great Cosmic Egotist? By no means! God must show forth His glory and require others to do so, because to do less is to speak and live a lie. Why?
God is of ultimate worth. He is the one and only ultimate reality. “In Him we live and move and have our being!” All things exist because of and for Him. To know and love Him better is to know and love others better and know myself better, and to know the universe better. To attempt to know anything apart from its place in God, the ultimate reality, is to not know the thing truly. It is to attempt to create for one’s self a world apart from reality; such an attempt is the essence of insanity. The Bible calls it idolatry.
The apple I hold in my hand, is it a God-created-apple, or is it a random-chance-just-happened-to-be-this-way-apple? Because it is a God-created-apple, it is reasonable to give glory to God. Is my wife a God-created-wife, or is she a random-chance-just-happened-to-be-this-way-wife? Because she is a God-created-wife, it is reasonable to give glory to God. If on the other hand I set my wife as my first love, I ignore that she is a God-created-wife; such a response is to “worship the creature rather than the Creator”. To love first anything or anyone other than God who is of ultimate worth, is to set my affection on less; this is the pursuit of a mirage; it is an attempt to embrace evanescence. “The world is passing away, and the lust of it.” (1 John 2:17) On the other hand for those who will give glory to God, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9
God who is of ultimate worth gives many good gifts. All beings and things derive their worth from God who created them. We “drink of the river of [His] delights’! We give Him glory for making us and for making us with capacities for joy and pleasure. We praise you O God! Be exalted!
Tags: 1 john 2:17, cosmic egotist, eugene clingman, everlasting gospel, glory, god creator, god's gifts, god's glory, highest moral act, idolatry, jealous for his glory, morality, psalm 36:7-9, revelation 14:6
Amen!