Clinging to him like that old pair of high school underwear that you refuse to throw out. Clinging to him like our life depends on it.
We cling so closely to him so that we can be a people for God, a name for God, a praise for God, a glory for God. To be His people means to be His treasured possession- this covenant relationship originally made with Israel is the same covenant relationship we have through Jesus' blood today.
We are meant to be His treasured possession today.
We are to make a name for Him, not make a name for ourselves.
Praise Him, not ourselves.
Glorify Him, not ourselves.
That's tough. And it's only getting harder in this world of social media with our phones now strapped to our wrists. It’s built for time-wasting, comparison, and self-promotion. And with influencer-culture, the goal is to make a name for yourself.
Praising God is our job as His people. We praise him for what He's done. Praise means ascribing to God His value. We spend our praise in likes, shares, reposts, and money.
Where is your praise directed?
What are you known for praising?
What would it look like to be a praise for God?
Glory here also means beauty. We are meant to be the radiating beauty of God.
When we cling to Jesus so closely, we start to see that it's all for Him. He paid the price for our lives, He gets the credit.
I don't know how often you think about how you've messed up or how you continue to mess up, but at the end of the day, you couldn't live this life on your own merit. You couldn't do anything valuable, worthwhile, or life-changing on your own name. Your own name is actually trash.
Not only do you need Jesus to sustain the very breath you're about to take in, but you need Jesus' blood to pay for every sin you've committed and are about to commit. You can't stay "righteous" for more than a few minutes (seconds for some of us).
But that's why He chose us to be His! He gets the most praise and glory this way. He chooses us, dies for us, calls us, sustains us- all for His purpose and plan- all for His name.
But we still get a pretty good deal...
We get to be used by God to change the world AND because we are His, we share in his name, praise and glory. For free.
We don't have to worry about our own name, praise, or glory. When we concern ourselves with God's name, He will worry about ours.
We all know this principle:
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:12 ESV
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
James 4:10 ESV
“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
James 4:6 ESV
It's a backwards formula for honor. If you try to honor yourself, you'll only be humbled. If you honor God, He'll honor you. We don't get to set ourselves up.
Go back to the loincloth...it's a pretty humble piece of clothing. It's underwear.
If you read that verse in context in Jeremiah 13:1-11, you’ll see they were ruined because of their pride. Remember, whoever exalts himself will be humbled?
What was meant to cling to God, ruined by trying to do their own thing.
And that's hard for me. I want to do just about everything myself. I don't like to rely on God to handle it all. But I end up ruining the things I run ahead of God for.
But there's a promise I can cling to when I cling to God...
"Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord."
Zephaniah 3:19-20 ESV
He does it. I don't have to. I just need to be found clinging to Him.
I’m praying for you today as you cling to Him.
