His Story, His Glory

In his book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul David Tripp recalls a boy’s reaction to another student in his class who was celebrating her birthday. Her mom had gone all out. Each child’s desk held a ribbon-tied bag of party favors, and on each chair was tied a beautiful balloon within a balloon. The whole room had been transformed into a birthday kingdom! And the birthday girl’s space had a mountain of gifts. But the boy, who stared at her pile with jealousy, started to become the center of attention as his pouting lip protruded and his humphing grew louder and louder. Soon, another mom came over to him, turned him to face her, and kindly reminded him that it’s not his party.

“So it is with the grand story of the Bible… at the center of the story is the Lord. It is his story. Sin causes us to steal the story and rewrite it with ourselves as the lead, and with our lives at center stage. Sin has made us glory robbers. We do not suffer well, because suffering interferes with our glory. We do not find relationships easy, because others compete with us for glory. We do not serve well, because in our quest for glory, we want to be served. But the story of Scripture is the story of the Lord's glory. It calls me to an agenda that is bigger than myself. The Redeemer has come so that glory thieves would joyfully live for the glory of Another. There is no deeper personal joy and satisfaction than to live committed to his glory.”

Romans 11: 36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”  May that be our resounding Amen as we wake each morning and walk throughout the day that God has ordained for us. May we all remember: it’s His story that we are living out, for His glory, and not for ours.