eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God
We don’t use the word “preeminent” much these days. Maybe that’s because we so often speak about something as being “awesome.” My Grandson saw an Uncle of mine use a Polaroid Camera for the first time. When the picture spit out and developed in front of his eyes, he ran to his Mother and said, “This is awesome!”
Preeminent is better than awesome. It’s an adjective meaning, surpassing all others. It implies supreme standing, one who is distinguished over everyone in a quality or achievement. That certainly is true of God. Nothing is more preeminent than God.
Our salvation underscores that truth. We have been granted salvation so that God may be glorified. Sure, we benefit as well, but bringing glory to God is the primary issue, not our blessings from it.
That’s one of the big problems with our self-centered culture. We are on a completely different page when it comes to whom receives glory. Unfortunately, a self-glorifying mentality has worked its way into the church, even subjecting its influence on the gospel. As an example, we often hear how sin affects man, but rarely how it dishonors God. Salvation is often offered as a way to get what Christ offers, not to obey His commands. Modern evangelism, in many cases, has reduced the gospel to a formula for a happy and fulfilling life. In other words, the focus is on man’s benefit, not God’s glory!
Christ followers know better. We understand that the purpose of our salvation is to live to His glory — His glory is to govern all we do.
Paul understood this well. He told the Philippian Christ followers that he pressed, “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” [Philippians 3.14]. That’s a noble goal, one to keep in mind daily. If you do, each day will be to the praise of God’s glory.
In our salvation, like everything else, God is preeminent and deserves all the credit.
… that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1.12
I think this is the reason that applause in a church meeting bothers me. So often, I feel like people are applauding a person's performance, rather than giving the glory to God.
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