3 Biggest Ways to Give God Glory

You know that the Bible says we should give God glory in everything we do. But, what exactly does that look like in real life? Let’s explore some of the most important ways we can glorify the Lord!

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SOLI DEO GLORIA. It’s a Latin phrase, which means “glory to God alone”. I often repeat this to myself when I need to remember to take the focus off of ME, and do what is most glorifying to God.

Some years ago, I learned that when eighteenth-century composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a new piece of music, he ascribed those words—Soli Deo Gloria—at the end of the piece. It was a reminder to himself and the world, that his ultimate goal was not to get glory for himself, but to give God glory.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I found this SO INSPIRING!

It goes to show, that glorifying God isn’t limited to the most obvious things, like helping a needy neighbor, or serving with gladness at the church bake sale. Those things are important, BUT so are ALL the other things we do in everyday life.

It’s the choices we make, the behaviors we exhibit, the habits we have, that reflect good or bad on God. And this is all, of course, a work in progress. I can definitely use some improvement in the “glorifying God” department, and I’m guessing you can too… otherwise why would you be reading this? Each day is a new opportunity to glorify the Lord, and my hope in writing this, is to spur us on to do just that.

How do I give God glory?

So, how DO you give God glory? The shortest answer is simply, in the way you live your life. By living a life of love, kindness, purpose, integrity, and so forth… this is how we can glorify the Lord.

But, we can’t do it alone! No, we need God’s help for sure…

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (NIV)

Jesus said that we must remain connected to Him as the True Vine, in order to bear fruit. So it stands to reason, that the more we abide in Him, the more “fruit” we will produce, and when others see that “fruit” in our lives, it gives glory to God—in other words, He gets the credit. God gave the sunshine, water, nourishment from the soil, and other ingredients supplied through the vine, so the branches can product fruit. As the “branches”, we can say that, yes, we had a part in growing the grapes, but ultimately, God supplied us with everything needed to grow, and He gets all the glory!

It’s like that with the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 too. The master provided the talents, and the first two servants simply built on what he gave them. They can say “my master gets all the credit, since he provided the ‘seed money’—without that, I wouldn’t have had anything to work with”.

But, you might ask, WHY should we glorify God? I mean, what’s the end result? Well, first of all, God deserves our praise and thanks for everything He has done for us. I mean, c’mon now, He created the whole universe, gave us freedom of choice, and rescued us even when we chose wrongly (though we chose to sin against Him, He still sent His Son Jesus to redeem us and pay the penalty for our sins). And secondly, in glorifying God, we can point others to Jesus Christ, so they too can choose to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior.

3 Biggest Ways to Give God Glory

So, clearly we have good reason to give God glory! But the question of exactly how to glorify God in everyday life remains… and for that, I thought about several key Scripture verses, and what seems (to me) to be the biggest ways to glorify God.

1) Love more like Jesus

It should go without saying, that the FIRST and FOREMOST way we can bring glory to God, is by loving as Jesus instructed us to:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35 (NIV)

I know, super basic, but it bears repeating! Any and all acts of love, kindness, and service to others, will give God glory. Especially when we stand to gain nothing from it! Like showing kindness to a rude person, giving a meal to someone who is homeless, or any other time when that person can’t or won’t reciprocate.

I don’t know about you, but I can always stand to do a way better job of loving and serving others.

2) Take care of your body, as a temple of the Holy Spirit

Another major way we can glorify the Lord, is by how we care for our own bodies. Do you treat yourself with respect and care, living as God wants you to live? Again, this is a work in progress, something we need to improve on each day!

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (AMP)

But, exactly what does it mean to glorify God in your body? According to God’s Word, a big part of that is abstaining from sexual sin, as the preceeding verse (1 Corinthians 6:18) states: Run away from sexual immorality [in any form, whether thought or behavior, whether visual or written]. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the one who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.

Beyond that, you can also give God glory in your body by what you put into it (or don’t). Obviously drugs, excessive alcohol, or smoking cigarettes are not good things to put into your body. Things that you know may shorten your lifespan are definitely not glorifying to God.

And when it comes to food, there are many ways to glorify God in your eating. For example, if you say NO to that tub of ice cream, and instead go to God’s Word for emotional comfort, that’s definitely glorifying to Him! And, if you eat things that fuel and support your body, because you want to serve God and people better, that’s also glorifying to God.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

1 Corinthians chapter 10 also talks about what we eat in relation to other people—not causing others to stumble. And I think some good examples of that might be, if you have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic, it’s good to not drink alcohol while you’re with them. Or likewise, if your family member is diabetic, has celiac disease, or other serious dietary restrictions, if you know it bothers them to see you enjoying foods they can’t have, then maybe consider not eating those foods in their presence. It’s things like that, that give God glory, because you’re helping your brother or sister in Christ to not stumble.

3) Through good works (quality, integrity, giving, etc.)

And finally, our third biggest way to give God glory, circles back to loving like Jesus: it’s all about the good works you do in everyday life. That is, in your career, in your family, among your friends, and so forth.

Seriously… I’ve been amazed at how often the New Testament encourages us to “do good works”…

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 (NRSV)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)

Some examples of glorifying God this way might include: serving with kindness, making quality products, being on time, being consistent and dependable, going above and beyond, and so on and so forth.

This kind of overall God-glorifying living is exemplified in the lives of Biblical characters like Joseph, Daniel, and Paul. They lived with honesty and integrity, and were recognized by others as men of God, because of the way they conducted themselves.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
1 Peter 2:12 (NLT)

I hope you’ve found these three ways to give God glory helpful and inspirational! The above verse sums it up nicely… how we live is so important, to point others to God. So let’s go forth, and live in a way that honors the Lord and points others to Him.

Barbara Austin

Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!