Paul spends a great deal of the letter to the Ephesians praising God’s attributes. He uses words like “the riches of His grace,” “His mighty power,” and “the exceeding greatness of His power.” He describes to us a Father of unsurpassed power, bottomless forgiveness, and unfathomable love. That He is to be glorified, is obvious. Indeed, one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess His sovereignty. And Paul’s prayer here reflects his desire for the Lord to be glorified, BUT: in a specific way. As he seeks to instruct and encourage the believers at Ephesus ~ and now us ~ so also his prayer is that through us, God would be glorified.
The decision to become a believer is the most important of your life. Once your heart invites Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, your salvation is secured and eternal life is yours. However, it does not mean that life as you knew it is over. You still have to go to work, and eat three meals a day. Everything from vacations to doctor visits fills your calendar. And yet you will have changed. And the evidence of that change is what James says makes faith perfect: works.
As Paul says earlier in Ephesians, works are not how we achieve salvation, they are the result of it. Faith without works, James says, is dead. Good works are how we give God the glory He is due.
So the most important of the things we can do for God? It’s what Jesus told the twelve, “By this all will know that you are My disciples: that you love one another.” Jesus also said that the second most important commandment was to love others as you love yourself.
It’s that simple.
By loving others, we glorify God. And that is our holiest calling.
Light Expectations 