Doing All This in Your Name

Yesterday one of the girls on the cheerleading team I coach closed her prayer with, "...doing all this in Your Name." As I thought back over the past hour, I was ashamed and terrified for us. Disrespecting, shouting, gossiping, anger, frustration, impatience, pride... all in His Name?

We hear it all the time-- doing all things for the glory of God, doing things in His Name-- but for some reason it really struck me yesterday.

All things.

As a follower of Christ, I am also an "ambassador for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20). In all that I do, I am a witness for or against Him. I draw people to or away from Him.

My actions are supposed to be a representation of Who God is, "as though God were making His appeal through us." The lives of those who have "been brought near" are to be the testimony of a God Who is Creator and Sustainer and Redeemer and Sanctifier (Ephesians 2:12-13).

Instead, so many times, our actions and words and thoughts tell a different story, and we excuse  it with our humanity and other people's actions. But God did not choose us, Jesus did not die for us, and the Holy Spirit did not regenerate and seal us, just so we could continue to live according to our flesh; we were doing a perfectly good job of that without the intervention of His atoning blood and sacrifice. We were not made new so we could continue to "conform to the pattern of this world", but to be like Christ (Romans 12:2)!

All things for His Name.

Everything we do is taken into account by the world, shaping their thoughts of God. Are we really living for the glory of the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Sanctifier God or are we living for our false gods? gods that don't save-- delusions that "turn [His] glory into shame" because we attach His Name to lives that bow to much different ideals (Psalm 4:2)?

If we instead "walk by the Spirit, [we] will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Even further, "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh" (Romans 13:14).

So often we live for ourselves, selfishly, pridefully blaming others for our sin. "For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?" (1 Corinthians 3:3). Do we really suppose that any person will be held more accountable for our actions than we are for our reactions? We must learn, "in whatever situation [we are], to be content"  and to "outdo one another in showing honor" (Philippians 4:11, Romans 12:10). To "make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Romans 14:19).

All things for His glory, because He's the only One worthy of glory. He's the only One that has glory. And He has enough glory to fill the entire world as the waters cover the seas (Habakkuk 2:14, Isaiah 6:3, 40:5)!

God help me to praise Yoy and serve You with all I am, because all I am has been redeemed by and for You. Your Name be praised!

"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Revelation 7:12.