Laus Deo (Glory to God)

‘For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ Romans 11:36

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1

The apostle puts his pen back into the ink bottle and falls on his knees—he cannot help it—he must have a doxology. ‘To whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ Beloved, let us imitate this devotion. I think that this sentence should be the prayer, the motto for every one of us—‘To whom be glory for ever. Amen.’ This should be the single desire of the Christian. I take it that he should not have twenty wishes but only one. He may desire to see his family well brought up, but only that ‘To God may be glory for ever.’ He may wish for prosperity in his business, but only so far as it may help him to promote this—‘To whom be glory for ever.’ He may desire to attain more gifts and more graces, but it should only be that ‘To him may be glory for ever.’ This one thing I know, Christian, you are not acting as you ought to do when you are moved by any other motive than the one motive of your Lord’s glory. As a Christian, you are ‘of him, and through him;’ I pray you be ‘to him.’ Let nothing ever set your heart beating but love to him. Let this ambition fire your soul; be this the foundation of every enterprise upon which you enter, and this your sustaining motive whenever your zeal would grow cold—only make God your object. Depend upon it, where self begins, sorrow begins; but if God be my supreme delight and only object,

‘To me ’tis equal whether love ordain
My life or death—appoint me ease or pain.’

To me there shall be no choice, when my eye singly looks to God’s glory.

For meditation: If some of us were given one wish, it would not be a patch on the single-minded desires expressed by God’s people in the Bible, such as David (Psalm 27:4), Asaph (Psalm 73:25) and Paul (Philippians 3:8–10, 13–15). What would your wish be? Could you pray for it with a clear conscience?

Sermon no. 572
29 May (1864)