There are two primary ways God wants to harvest glory from our lives. The first way is when we personally give Him glory through worship, praise, thanksgiving and the fruit of our lips. The second is when others give God glory because of us, i.e. when they see our good works and give glory to God on our behalf.

Both pathways matter deeply, as God intends to be glorified in us and through us.

I remember being introduced to basic logic statements in secondary school; if-then functions, or functions as well as and functions. I realise that the logic of God’s glory is not an OR statement but an AND statement.

The OR function is satisfied if only one part of a statement is true. So, this would mean that:

• If I praise Him with the fruit of my lips but my life doesn’t inspire others to glorify Him, God is still glorified.
• Or… If people give God glory because of my life, even if I never give God glory with my lips, God is still glorified.

Both outcomes contain an element of truth, but they each represent a low glory potential.

In Camp A, the believer actively praises God, thanks Him and acknowledges dependence on God. However, he is not significantly influencing others through his life. This makes the believer a weak witness in that God receives glory, but it is largely private. The goodness of God in his life doesn’t spread to his community, workplace or relationships.

In Camp B, the believer is visibly doing good works, but not expressly glorifying God or expressing reliance on God through thanksgiving. People are helped, lives are touched, and observers give glory to God because of what they see. One can ask, “How is that a problem? Of course, there is no issue with that.”

Well, there is a subtle but serious issue with it. When a believer does not deliberately channel glory back to God through the fruit of their lips, they unintentionally imply that they themselves are the source of the goodness they produce. Over time, this posture snowballs into pride and self-sufficiency. Some people will thank God for you, but others will thank you. And if that thanksgiving is not redirected to God (both publicly and privately), you begin to establish a righteousness sourced in self rather than in faith. You become the explanation for your own goodness. However, the truth is that consistent and unselfish goodness has a source- and that source is God. Without Him, none of us can sustain such fruit.

From Camps A and B, God’s intention for full glory in every believer lies in the AND-, which states that the good work that people may see, must be deliberately channelled to God in thanksgiving and reliance and every goodness we receive from God, must be extended outward to others.

It’s living in the balance of reliance and influence. When we live life in the ‘and’, God receives the highest glory potential from our lives.

I would like to share with you 5 ways we can, as Christians, start to live in the AND:

1. By doing good works: Good works are often reduced to narrow categories of charity, service or giving. While those things matter and are necessary, good works also actually mean doing excellently and beautifully in whatever responsibility we are so privileged to steward. We cannot excuse poor character, mediocrity or negligence with generosity. True good works show up in how we are neighbours, tenants, colleagues, parents, employees, members, workers, leaders, etc. You can see why we can only achieve that with God’s help. If Jesus needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to have a consistent experience of goodness everywhere He went, so do we! When we live this way, our communities will thank God for us.
2. By constantly wearing a garment of praise, which is giving thanks to the Lord always and for all things. Gratitude keeps our hearts anchored in dependence.
3. By bearing fruit, diligently doing all that we are taught and living out sound doctrine with consistency. When we do this, our leaders and shepherds will thank God for us.
4. By obeying God’s instructions- Jesus said, “Herein is My Father glorified, because I have done all the things He asked Me to do.” God is glorified not only by generic obedience to Scripture, but also by faithful response to specific instructions He gives us.
5. Having honest and wholesome conversations because Scripture reminds us that bitter and sweet water should not flow from the same mouth. Our speech must align with our witness.

I pray that just as Jesus of Nazareth was anointed to do good always and everywhere, we also will continue to be empowered, inspired and anointed by the Holy Spirit to do good, speak good, give praise and bear fruit to the glory of His name.

Have a blessed week ahead.

For His Glory and Renown.

Olayinka Adebayo
IG: @layinkadebayo